Light a Way
by marauderluverz
Summary: After leaving Ren's apartment one evening Kyoko is in a terrible car crash, when she wakes up afterwards she forgets she is Kyoko Mogami and begins to live as the characters who's roles she has portrayed. Can Ren help his beloved Kyoko to return to herself once again? RenxKyoko 1st in HoMH series
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome, this is my first Skip Beat fic and my first new story in quite some time. But I am thoroughly excited about it and hope you will enjoy it too! Please R &R and enjoy!**

Chapter 1: Trauma  
Kyoko stood in the hall just outside of Ren Tsuruga apartment and bowed her typical bow.  
"Thank you again, Tsuruga-san for allowing me to borrow this book. I think it'll help me a lot in preparing for my exam tomorrow." She said with a smile.  
Ren smiled back a small smile. "It's no problem at all Mogami-san. Good luck!" Ren glanced at the sky. The sun had mostly set and the sky was now darkening to black. "Ah, Mogami-san, you don't plan to walk home do you?" he asked showing some concern.  
Kyoko glanced outside, "I'm sure I'll be fine."  
Ren shook his head. "Give me a second and I'll grab my keys, I can give you a ride."  
"NO!" She shouted in surprise. Ren glanced at her a little shocked. "I mean, no, it's okay. You don't have to do that. I can take a cab. You don't have to worry."  
He nodded. "But I'm gonna watch to make sure you actually get a cab and that you aren't just saying that 'cause you don't want to ride in my car with me…" Kyoko could've sworn she saw a little of the Emperor in Ren's eyes. She nodded quickly.  
They said their goodbyes and Kyoko headed for the elevator. She had already felt bad for inconveniencing Ren by coming over so late and surprising him. But she had a test at the acting school the next day and was hoping to study up on some improv techniques. She smiled down at the book in her hands. She felt so grateful to have a senpai who could help her with these kind of things.  
Kyoko hailed a cab when she reached the sidewalk and one stopped moments later, she waved back up towards Ren's apartment where she knew he was watching before climbing in and giving the driver directions to take her home.

Ren watched as Kyoko waved to him then climbed into her cab. He watched as the cab started to pull away and then stepped back inside of his apartment. He sighed, as he thought of how cute she was when she had arrived at his place.

 _The doorbell rang, and Ren came out of his bedroom. He had on pajama pants, no shirt, and a towel wrapped around his neck since he had just climbed out of the shower and his hair was still wet. He opened the door and was surprised to see Kyoko, the woman he loved.  
Her face lit up a bright red as she took in the sight before her. Even though she had seen him shirtless before it still made her blush when she wasn't in a specific character. Setsu for instance would not have been phased at all.  
Ren had invited her in and stepped back in his room to put on a shirt and hang up his towel. He returned to find Kyoko sitting on the couch. She jumped up when he entered.  
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Mogami-san?"  
Kyoko blushed slightly as she looked at him. "I need to borrow a book!" She blurted out. "Yashiro-san mentioned to me that you should have a book on improv." She finished a little more calmly.  
Ren chuckled a little at her response. "Let me see what I can find."_

After that they had talked for a little while about her acting classes and before they knew it the sky was dark outside and Kyoko was leaving while apologizing profusely for intruding.  
Ren smiled at the memory. He crossed his apartment and turned on the television before entering the kitchen to grab a beer. He heard the newscaster on the television giving updates on some new movie and it's recent premier, then she stopped talking. Ren re-entered the living room to see the newscaster's face change from animated to serious.  
"Wait a moment viewers, I am getting an urgent news report of a major accident involving a cab and an eighteen wheel truck."  
Ren stopped and set down his drink. He approached the tv set cautiously. They were showing a helicopter view above a tragic wreck.  
"No word yet on if there were any fatalities, but injuries are sure to be expected in an accident this serious. We'll keep you updated as we learn more."  
The screen jumped to a weather report as Ren sat in stunned silence. The street that car crash was on was only a few blocks away. It was definitely one that Kyoko would've had to pass on her way home. He glanced at his cell phone sitting on the coffee table nearby. He needed to calm his nerves. _I'll just call her really quick to make sure she's all right._ He told himself.  
He picked up his phone and called her number. _Ring… Ring… Ring…_  
"Come on, Kyoko. Pick up the damn phone."  
 _We're sorry, the number you have called is currently unavailable. Please leave a message at the tone._

Ren cursed at the phone as he slammed it closed. He stared at the tv again as the newscaster from before reappeared on screen.

"Ambulances have arrived on scene and we are getting word that their may have been one fatality. No names have been released yet-"

Ren didn't hear the rest of the report because he had already thrown on his shoes and ran out the door. He slammed the button to open the elevator and waited impatiently for it to open. He rode it down to the lobby and jumped out when the doors were still half closed, startling some people waiting nearby. But he had no time to apologize, he had to confirm that Kyoko was okay. She had to be okay.

As his feet carried him down the street he could hear the sounds of sirens. _Please be okay, Kyoko._ He begged internally as he ran.

Suddenly, the scene was before him. Police were blocking off the road with yellow tape to prevent passerby from interfering in the accident scene. Luckily, Ren was tall enough to be able to see over the heads of most of the people in the crowd. His eyes searched through the mess of glass and car pieces.

Then he saw her. He pushed through the crowd and over the police tape, ignoring the sounds of the officers yells for him to stop. Kyoko was lying on a gurney near an ambulance. Paramedics were rushing around to move her. Ren grabbed one roughly by the arm.

"Please tell me she's alive," he said hoarsely, as he held back tears. He stared at the love of his life. She was covered in scratches and bleeding from a wound on her head.

"She's alive," the paramedic responded urgently. "But we need to get her help fast. Are you family?" Other paramedics were loading Kyoko's gurney into the ambulance.

Ren nodded without a second thought. "I'm her boyfriend."

The paramedic looked at him gravely. "Then hop in."

When they reached the hospital Kyoko was immediately wheeled into surgery, leaving a fragile Ren Tsuruga to pace in the nearby hall. Ren's thoughts were jumbled but he knew he couldn't handle this alone. He pulled his phone out of his pocket.

 _Ring... Ring..._

"Hello?"

"President, there's been an accident." Ren could barely choke out the words.

"Are you okay?" Lory asked concernedly.

Ren shook his head, "It's not me. Kyoko."

"Where are you at?" The president asked quickly.

"Glory Hospital."

"I'll be right there."

Ren was seated in a chair in the hall when Lory Takarada arrived. This time there was no parade of staff or flashy dance members to flank him. He was instead followed by Sebastian and Yashiro. Ren looked up at the sound of footsteps.

"Is she still in surgery?" Lory asked, as he sat next to Ren.

Ren nodded. "It's been over an hour but they aren't telling me anything."

Yashiro asked Sebastian to get them some tea to help calm Ren, and he vanished down the hall.

"Do you know what happened?" Yashiro asked his friend.

Ren shook his head. "She was at my apartment not too long ago but she left for home in a cab. I turned on the news and saw the accident a few minutes later."

Sebastian returned and handed Ren a cup of hot tea. "It'll help," he told Ren quietly.

Ren sipped his tea as they waited. Another hour passed before they were approached by a nurse.

"Tsuruga Ren?" the nurse questioned.

Ren jumped out of his seat. "Yes, is she okay?"

The nurse nodded before responding. "She still unconscious. But she's in recovery right now. You can see her shortly."

Ren crumpled to the ground as relief washed over him. Lory joined him on the floor and put a fatherly arm around Ren's shoulders.

"She's going to be okay, Ren. It's all going to be okay."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Awakened

Ren waited anxiously for the hospital staff to move Kyoko into a private room so he could see her. Yashiro and Sebastian had both gone home now and only Lory accompanied Ren when the nurse came to get him. It was now almost 3am and the hospital was mostly quiet.

The nurse showed them into a private room where a hospital bed lay in the middle of the far wall. Ren's breath caught in his throat at the sight of Kyoko. Her arm had an IV in it and her head was bandaged. She had bruises and cuts all over her skin and was pale.

Ren went to her side and reached for her hand.

"Do you know when she'll wake up?" Lory asked the nurse softly.

The nurse shook her head. "As far as we can tell she should wake up any time. But there's no telling when it'll actually happen." She sighed as she watched Ren holding Kyoko's hand. "Please let me know if you need anything else," and with that she stepped out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.

"Can I assume you plan on staying here until she wakes up?"

Ren nodded without taking his eyes off Kyoko. "I can't leave- not until I know she'll be all right."

Lory sighed heavily. He'd known Ren would feel that way, and he couldn't blame him. He knew how strongly Ren felt about this young woman. "I'll have Yashiro clear your schedule. At least for the next two days."

Lory stepped forward and patted Ren on the shoulder, "I'll send Sebastian to bring you some of your things in the morning."

He left the room and walked down to the parking lot where his limo was waiting. He took a drink from his car fridge and opened it. He had a feeling they had a long few days ahead of them, he could only hope God would have mercy on Ren's heart.

Meanwhile inside Kyoko's brain there was plenty of action. There were five of her little spirits all surrounding a glass coffin. It was quite similar to the one that snow white was in whilst waiting for prince charming to arrive. Inside of it was Kyoko's true spirit. The one that was left when she wasn't acting, and was just herself.

On the outside her five other spirits were each mourning in their own way. All except for the one Pure Kyoko spirit. She was flitting around all the others.

"What are you guys doing?" She cried. "We have to find a way to wake her up before she's gone completely. One of you will have to get out there."

The other spirits looked at her in shock.

Outside of Kyoko's mind time was passing. It was the day after the accident and Ren was a wreck. He had been sitting in her hospital room since she got there and hadn't left for anything. He was unaware of other visitors who came.

Sebastian had brought him a change of clothes and flowers from the president for Kyoko's room. The couple from darumaya had brought a small flower arrangement as well as a stuffed rabbit.

Around lunch time Yashiro stopped by. He had brought a bouquet of flowers meant to be from Ren and had placed them in the room. Then he turned to Ren.

He looked terrible. His hair was a mess, his eyes were vacant, he just sat there staring at Kyoko. It looked like he hadn't moved in hours.

Yashiro placed a hand on Ren's shoulder. "Why don't you go eat something? I can wait here with her for a bit." He offered.

Ren looked startled, las if he had just realized his manager was there. Yashiro repeated his offer, but Ren shook his head.

"I can't leave her."

The rest of the day passed and through it all Ren was pondering the situation. He couldn't help but blame himself for what had happened to Kyoko.

If only I had just made her let me drive her home. Why did I give in to her so easily? I was just trying not to scare her off. We'd been doing so well lately.

Ren sighed, he felt weak. The stress of the situation combined with his lack of sleep and food plus his emotions were not helping him.

A knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts. He glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was nearly ten o'clock at night.

The door opened to reveal Kyoko's best friend, Moko. She stepped in quietly. "Hello, Tsuruga-san, how is she?"

"There's been no improvement. She's still unconscious. "

Moko nodded, "Then why don't you go home for tonight?" She suggested.

Ren opened his mouth to argue back and Moko gave him a sympathetic smile. "I know you want to stay here, but you can't. You look terrible. At least go home tonight and rest, then you can come back in the morning."

"I really think I need to be here-"

Moko stepped forward and pulled him out of his chair. "I promise to call if anything changes."

Ren peered at her through mournful eyes. "Promise?"

Moko nodded.

Ren sighed and took Kyoko's hand in his for another moment. "I'll be back in the morning," He told her. Then he headed for the door.

The president had had his car delivered to the hospital early that morning so he numbly climbed behind the wheel. When he got home he forced himself to eat some rice with tea before showering and climbing into bed. He doubted he'd get any sleep due to his worry but within moments exhaustion overcame him and he fell into a deep sleep.

Ren woke up the next morning feeling well rested, until he remembered the events of the last two days. He held his head in his hands feeling guilty. How could he have forgotten what she was going through?

He checked the time and saw it was already seven in the morning. He quickly checked his phone and felt a little better when he saw no missed calls. Only a message from Moko at around 3 AM.

Go to sleep. No changes.

Ren couldn't help but smile to himself a little. Moko had obviously thought he'd be up all night worried. He figured she must've gotten his number from Yashiro. Ren hurriedly climbed out of bed and got ready to head to the hospital.

When Ren arrived at the hospital he tried to be quiet as he entered Kyoko's room in case Moko was asleep. Instead he was greeted by her voice. He left the door ajar and stood just outside of it. Trying to gauge if what she was saying was personal and he should give her a few minutes.

"And the seven dwarves led Prince Charming to the glass coffin mournfully, fearing that the princess Snow White was already long dead. The prince removed the lid to the glass coffin and gently stroked the princess' face."

Ren couldn't help but smile. From the sound of it Moko was reading Kyoko a fairytale.

"The prince then leaned down and kissed Snow White's lips. Her eyes fluttered open and all were happy to see the princess was alive. The prince lifted Snow White onto his horse and they rode off together into the sunset. And they all lived happily ever after."

Ren heard the sound of Moko closing a book so he took the opportunity to step in. "Good morning," He greeted her.

She looked over at him, then glanced at her phone to check the time. "It's about time you got here. I do have work you know." She scolded him with a small smile.

Ren smiled back at her. "Thank you for taking care of her."

Moko winced at his charming smile. "It was no big deal, I just read her a bunch of fairytales. She's always talking about how much she likes them." She held up the book she had been reading from.

"Can I borrow that?" Ren asked.

Moko shrugged, "Sure." She responded handing it to him. "I bought it for her for when she wakes up."

Ren nodded and Moko quickly collected her bag and headed out. She glanced at Kyoko's bed as she reached the door. "Hurry up and wake up soon." And with that she was gone.

Moments later a nurse came in to check Kyoko's vitals and add medication to her iv. She gave Ren a soft smile. "We are all hoping she'll wake up soon." She told him as she left the room.

Ren sat down in the chair and began flipping through fairytales in the book Moko had left him.

He was pretty sure most of these were Disney fairytales and not the originals because they all had happy endings. His heart hurt thinking about how unfair life had been to Kyoko. She didn't deserve anything she had had to go through.

As far as he was concerned she should've been allowed her fairytale dreams. If- no when you wake up, Kyoko, I promise I'll treat you like the princess you are. He promised silently.

If only things were as simple as the stories she loved so much. As far as they were concerned true love's kiss could solve everything. Ren gave a bitter smile. If only…

He glanced at Kyoko. But it was worth a try wasn't it. She believed in Corn's stone to make her feel better and it had always helped her, perhaps if he believed…

He stood from his chair, leaving the book on the seat. He leaned down over the woman he loved, and gently stroked her cheek. He leaned in closer until his lips were only an inch away from hers.

"Please come back to me," He breathed. Then he allowed his lips to meet hers, softly kissing her.

Inside Kyoko's head all of the spirits were arguing over what should be done. CRACK! All of their heads turned to look at the glass coffin. A small crack had appeared in the glass. Pure Kyoko squealed.

"Someone has to get out there now!" She cried. "You!" She pointed at one of the spirits, who looked less then thrilled.

"Why should I have to bother myself with such things?" the Spirit retorted.

Pure Kyoko looked at her indignantly. Then she shoved her hard. "Let's go!"

Ren felt movement from Kyoko and he pulled away from her as he saw her eyes flutter open.

"Kyoko?"

SLAP!

Ren fell backwards in shock at what had just happened. Kyoko had slapped him hard across the face.

"I don't know who the hell Kyoko is, but how dare you kiss me." She spat the words at him harshly.

All Ren could do was stare up at her in disbelief. Who was this girl?

 **A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the 2nd chapter! Im hoping to write the next one in the next week. Please read & review! Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Dark Moon

Ren sat on the floor staring up at Kyoko. Except she was acting strangely. He had kissed her to wake her up but had never expected to be slapped.

She glared at him coldly before turning away in disgust. Ren slowly got up, stepping out of the room so as not to annoy Kyoko more. Ren pulled out his phone and dialed the president.

"Is she awake?!"

Ren gave a hollow laugh, "Yeah, she's awake…"

"How is she doing?" The president asked excitedly.

"I'm not sure. You see, she ummm, she slapped me." Ren quickly told the president what had occurred.

"You poor man," Lory teased. But his tone turned serious a moment later. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Just then Ren heard a crash from Kyoko's room. "I have to go." He hung up quickly and ran back into the room to find a nurse standing near the door looking frightened, and a tray of medical supplies scattered across the floor.

Kyoko glared at Ren as he entered the room.

"What happened?" Ren asked.

The nurse looked pale as she struggled to answer. "I-I was just trying to check her vitals…."

Kyoko laughed coldly. "Next time they want someone to perform medical tasks they should send someone competent."

Ren collected the nurse's supplies and after he handed them back to her she scurried from the room muttering about sending someone else.

Ren watched Kyoko warily. This was so unlike her, and yet- Yes! That's where he remembered that look from.

"Mio?" He asked cautiously, watching for her reaction.

Her head turned towards him. "You think that just because you are to marry my sister you can regard me in such an informal way?" She spoke softly but there was a threatening tone to her words.

He knew it. She wasn't acting like Kyoko because she wasn't Kyoko. She was Mio Hongo, and she saw him not as Ren Tsuruga but as Katsuki, her sisters fiancée.

"I apologize for my behavior Hongo-san." He responded to her with a deep bow.

She looked away from him towards her IV. "Are you going to tell me where I am and what has happened?"

Ren nodded. "May I sit?"

Mio ignored him so he took it as a yes and sat in the chair he had occupied for the last few days.

"You are in the hospital. You were in a car crash and required minor surgery for a gash on your head." He gestured to the right side of his forehead.

She reached up and touched the same spot on her own head and winced in pain.

"You've been unconscious for the last two days." Ren continued.

"And why are you here?" She questioned. "I certainly didn't expect my family but" She paused and glanced at him, "especially not _you_."

Ren was trying to find a way to respond when there was a knock on the door. A different nurse from before entered the room.

"Miss Mog-"She began but Ren cut her off. He whispered something to her and she started over. "Miss Hongo, may I take your vitals now?"

Mio looked at her with a haughty air before nodding slightly. As the nurse stepped forward Mio glared at Ren. "Get out."

Ren paced outside of the hospital room. He had been ordered out of the room by the girl he loved and had been forced to listen helplessly as she berated her nurse and then the hospital staff who had brought her breakfast. Apparently the care she received was not up to her standards.

"Ren!" Lory called to him as he came down the hall. Ren looked up and felt relieved at seeing the president.

" President," Ren let out a sigh of relief. "She's not Kyoko. She's Mio."

"From Dark Moon?" Lory looked surprised.

"It must be from the head trauma. When she had first created her character of Mio she was completely taken over and didn't return to herself until someone had cut the scene." Ren explained to his boss.

"I'll go talk to her," Lory told Ren, "You wait here."

Lory knocked on the door before entering the room. Mio sat upright on her bed looking moody. She glanced towards the President.

"Who are you?" She questioned warily.

The president bowed to her to show respect. "I am a messenger sent from your family."

Mio looked away. "What could my _family_ possibly have to say to me."

"Well," Lori continued as he sat down on the chair next to her bed. "Mio-san, your parents and sister had left on a trip the night of your accident. You had been supposed to go with them but had to stay behind due to your injuries. You can't stay at your Manor though because it is undergoing renovations. Your family has asked that you stay with Katsuki-san until they return."

Mio stared at him incredulously. "How could they expect me to stay alone with _him_?"

Lory smiled at her, undeterred by her attitude. "Unfortunately you are not able to fly until your injury is healed so you cannot join them. And surely the renovations at the Manor would disturb your rest. Therefore staying with your future brother in law seemed the best option to your family."

Lory stood up to leave as Mio sat silently fuming. He turned back around when he reached the door. "I'll be sure to send some of your things to your temporary residence. Have a good day, Mio-san."

Ren had not been able to hear most of the president's conversation with Mio so he sat in the hall anxiously waiting. He had taken the time to send texts to Moko and Yashiro to let them know how Kyoko was doing.

"-Have a good day, Mio-san." Lory said as he exited from her room. Ren stood up.

"What did you tell her?"

Lory smiled at him. "I just gave her some back story for her current situation. Her family is out of town and and her Manor is being renovated."

Ren nodded. "Then where will she be staying? At your home perhaps?" Ren asked.

Lory shook his head, smiling knowingly. "She'll be staying with Katsuki." He then started to walk away. "I need to go talk to the hospital staff about how much longer Mio will be here."

Ren stood dumbstruck as Lori stepped into an office. Then the president stuck his head back out, "I'll be sending some of her things to your place." He smiled at Ren and then disappeared again.

Ren sighed in exasperation. He had never guessed he'd have to deal with this. How was he going to handle having Mio, who hated him, living with him?

Several minutes later the doctor and Lory entered Kyoko's room to check her out. After talking to her, the doctor ordered some tests to see if they could figure out what was causing this different personality to surface instead of her true self.

As far as Mio was concerned, the whole day was spent inconveniencing her. The food was terrible, and no one was treating her with the respect she deserved as being a part of the Hongo family. By the end of the day she was tired and frustrated.

Ren was feeling frustrated himself. He had only been able to get glimpses of Kyoko all day because Mio didn't want him anywhere near her.

The doctor and Lory stood just outside of her room that evening.

"We checked all our possible tests, but we can't find anything that is causing this personality issue."

Lory sighed, glancing at Ren who stood nearby. "When do you think she can be released from the hospital?"

The doctor looked thoughtful as he flipped through his paperwork. "Her actual injuries were pretty mild and aside from her personality change she seems to be recovering quite well. Perhaps being around familiar surroundings could pull her true personality back to the outside."

Ren stepped forward and looked at the doctor. "Do you mean to say there's a chance she'll be stuck like this?"

The doctor took a slow breath. "It is a possibility. As for her being discharged, she should be able to leave in the next couple of days."

Ren felt anxious are the thought of it all. What if the girl he loved never returned to who she truly was? If that happened he would lose her forever, and what's worse- she would hate him.

 **Two days later…**

It was the afternoon of their third day with Mio, when she was finally discharged from the hospital. Now she and Ren sat together in his car as he drove them home. There was an eerie silence between them but Ren cringed inwardly at the thought of trying to break it. Mio had spent the entire ride either ignoring Ren completely or glaring at him.

Just then they had reached the apartments he lived in and he parked. He stepped around the car and opened the door for her, but when he reached his hand out to help her she rejected it coldly.

They went up to his apartment in silence. When they entered the room, Mio looked around as if she was seeing it for the first time.

"Sensei, I never would've imagined you to live in such a place." She said softly as she stepped farther in the room. Ren felt a sense of pride at her comment. "It's a dump. I cannot believe that this is where I am expected to stay."

The pride Ren had felt moments before was dashed as she finished her thought.

"I'll show you to your room." He said, ignoring her comments about his home. When they entered the spare bedroom they found a suitcase lying on the bed. "Those must be your clothes and things your parents sent."

Mio glared at him. "I know what they are. I'm not an idiot."

"Of course not, Mio-san." He took a step to leave her room. "I'm going to go pick us up some dinner since it's getting late."

"Where's the bath?" Mio asked suddenly.

Ren led her down the hall to the only bathroom.

She looked in at the bath tub. "I'm guess it'll have to do." She sighed deeply then entered the bathroom and slammed the door in Ren's face.

Ren closed his eyes. He was already exhausted and she hadn't even been here one night. He grabbed his car keys and hurried back out the door. He needed a few minutes to think about things.

Ren drove around town longer than necessary before picking up dinner. He really didn't want to return to his apartment. Yes, Kyoko was there but so was Mio. It hurt him to hear such hatred coming from the woman he loved. He could only hope that she would be back to normal soon.

He picked up food and hurried back after he realized how late it had gotten. He didn't want to get anymore on her bad side then he already was. Truthfully he knew what Mio was capable of.

"Why couldn't she have played Mizuki?" He sighed as he exited the elevator on his floor. He unlocked his apartment and set the food in the kitchen. Mio was nowhere to be found. He looked in the living room, checked the bathroom, but it looked like she had already finished her bath. He knocked on her bedroom door.

"Mio-san," He called, "I've brought food."

He listened for a minute and heard nothing. Not even movement. So he opened the door a crack.

He peered in and saw that while the lights were still on, Mio was fast asleep. Ren stepped into the room quietly being careful not to wake her.

She looked like Kyoko again. There was no anger in her face as she slept. Ren turned off the lights and leaned down to kiss her. Then he thought better of it and just gently ran his fingers through her hair.

He pondered for a moment, watching her he wondered if she saw Mio when she looked in the mirror.

Suddenly his stomach growled. Mio rolled over in her sleep and Ren hurriedly left the room. He stepped back out into the hall. "Sweet dreams, Kyoko."

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! It was pretty difficult to write Mio since we don't know much about how she acts/ttalks besides a few scenes so this is my version. Please leave a review to let me know what you think! Next chapter will be up soon. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Torture

The next morning Ren woke up and showered. Today was his first day back at work and he had a busy schedule to make up for the days he had taken off. He rushed into the kitchen to make some coffee to take with him.

He saw Mio sitting on the couch in the living room watching television. She was wearing clothes he remembered from when they were filming. _Lory must've sent them over._

"Good morning, Mio-san." He greeted her.

She ignored him, but when he turned his back to her he could feel her glaring at him. "I have work today," He continued to talk over his shoulder to her, "So you'll have the apartment to yourself till I get home."

He turned around to see her reaction and was startled to find she had entered the kitchen.

"What am I supposed to eat?" She asked him accusingly.

Ren glanced down at his cup of coffee. _Well this is different…_ He thought. _Normally she'd be offering to make me breakfast._

"Ummm, there is some food in the fridge." He offered cautiously.

Mio glared at the counter top, not wanting to look at him directly. "or I could just kill and eat you." She muttered the words under her breath and Ren had barely caught them. She was definitely scary.

Ren opened his wallet and took out a credit card. "You can order food then. Use this." He held it out to her but she turned away from him. She walked back to the couch and turned the volume on the tv louder in an effort to get "Katsuki" to stop talking to her.

Ren sighed and left the card on the counter before grabbing his car keys and leaving. He was certainly looking forward to returning to work today…

From the moment Ren had picked up Yashiro, his manager had not stopped bombarding him with questions. Once Ren explained the full truth about her being Mio, Yashiro shuttered.

"Oh, I remembered the way she had glared at you that first day. How terrible for you Ren. How torturous. How-"

He stopped talking when he saw the annoyed look on Ren's face. "Sorry."

Ren sighed, then turned to look at his manager with gentlemanly smile. "It's fine."

Yashiro cringed at Ren's glaring smile.

 _He must be taking this really hard…_ Yashiro thought to himself.

They soon arrived at the studio and Ren had to focus on work, he pushed his problems about Kyoko to the back of his mind.

It was late at night when Ren returned home from work. He could only hope that Mio was in a better mood, or perhaps that she had awoken and returned to Kyoko.

He unlocked his apartment door and saw the unpleasant sight of a very messy room. His living room had books strewn about the couch, table, and floor. He stepped into the kitchen and saw takeout bags and boxes and a sink of dirty dishes.

Ren gave a frustrated sigh. How could one woman have caused this much of a mess in one day. Irritation bubbled up inside of him at the realization that he would have to clean all of this up. He marched to his room to set down his stuff then went to the bathroom with a towel to take a shower.

As the hot water cascaded down his body, Ren thought about everything he'd dealt with in the last few days. He was ready for it to be over and ready to have his Kyoko back.

He finished showering and stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waste and another on his head to dry his hair. But just as he stepped into the hallway he nearly ran into Mio.

He grabbed her shoulders instinctively to stop himself from crashing into her. "Sorry." He said as he pulled his hands away.

At the sight of her he felt his irritation rise again as he remembered the mess she had left.

He continued talking quickly before she could interrupt. "And I didn't appreciate the mess you left around the house. You are a lady, and we're not raised in a barn so I do expect some level of cleanliness. And-" He stopped talking as he looked at her face. Her whole face had tinged red. He looked down at himself and realized that he was still naked except for his towel.

He was surprised that Mio would blush though. Surely she would hide her embarrassment. Unless… _Maybe a little of Kyoko is breaking through._

Ren leaned down to look in her eyes, "You know, you look very beautiful when you blush." He hadn't been able to help himself from teasing her, but he braced himself to be slapped again.

Instead, Mio's face turned a deeper shade of red and she turned and ran to her room, slamming the door behind her.

A smile broke through on Ren's face. Maybe they had made progress, considering that reaction had been very much like Kyoko.

Ren chuckled to himself as he dressed into pajamas and he was happy as he went to work cleaning up her mess. None of it mattered, because deep down he had a feeling things were about to change.

Mio avoided Katsuki as best she could for the next couple of days. She still left his kitchen a mess but she did keep the living room clean. She also rang up a hefty bill on Ren's credit card because she would only order expensive foods.

Ren had started a new plan and that was to force Mio to act like Kyoko again. He was sure that he could and hopefully that would wake her up from this curse. He had begun talking friendlier to her, even if she mostly ignored him. He was determined to break through the Mio shell.

Finally on her fourth day of being at his place, Ren managed to get home from work early enough for them to eat together. So he had set them up with dinner from a takeout place, in front of the television.

Mio was eating quietly ignoring Ren as best she could. But he was making it difficult by loudly slurping the broth from his noodles.

Mio glared at him, but Ren acted oblivious. In response he only smiled, but it was his charming heavenly smile.

"Did you want some more food?" He offered politely.

Mio turned back to the tv, she couldn't help but admit to herself that Katsuki seemed to be quite charming lately. She just wasn't sure what his game was. Why was he being so nice to her?

She found herself growing more angry at the lack of answers she had for her many questions.

Finally the dam burst. "What is your game?!"

Ren stared at her in surprise. "Game? What do you mean?"

She frowned at him. Why did he have to act so innocent?

"You've never been this way with me. Maybe with Misao or Mizuki, but not with me."

Ren looked at her seriously. This was his moment. He leaned closer to her, not breaking eye contact.

Mio looked like she wanted to run as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"I think I just hadn't realized it before."

Mio gulped. "Realized what?"

Ren smiled seeing that she was sounding less like Mio. "How cute you are."

Her blush spread quickly as she struggled for words to respond. But every venomous thing she wanted to say was escaping her.

"I'm going to bed." She told him, standing up suddenly. And with that she left the room. Moments later he heard her bedroom door slam shut.

He finished his dinner with a smile on his face, Enjoying the memory of what had just happened.

Meanwhile in Kyoko's head another crack had appeared in the glass coffin. This time it was bigger.

Pure Kyoko was flitting around excitedly. Suddenly the Mio spirit grabbed her.

"I'm done." She said. "He's being creepy."

Pure Kyoko sighed. "All right, but you have to figure out who's next."

Mio spirit looked at the other three spirits before her. "You look like fun." She said as she shoved another one forward.

After dinner, Ren showered and then climbed into his bed. He fell asleep quickly and slept soundly. When he woke in the morning he felt a confusing warmth against his skin.

He blinked open his eyes, and was surprised to find Kyoko sleeping next to him. She was cuddled up against him with her hands inside his shirt. Ren felt his body grow warm at the realization of their current situation. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths to calm himself.

Then he opened his eyes. _But wait,_ he thought to himself, _Mio would never be this close to me… but neither would Kyoko. So who is she?_

His thoughts were interrupted by the person next to him stirring. Kyoko stretched against him then looked up at him through her amber eyes.

"Good morning, Nii-san," She said with a smile.

 **A/N: I'm sure you can all guess where this is going next! I'll probably post again this weekend. Merry Christmas! Please leave me a review. Thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Torture of a Different Kind

"Good morning, Nii-san," Kyoko said with a smile as she gazed up at Ren through her amber eyes.

Except, Ren was realizing, this wasn't Kyoko. And it definitely wasn't Mio.

"Setsu?" He asked.

"Of course it's me." She said pouting a bit. "Who else would be sleeping in bed with you?"

Ren's head was whirling. He was certain that he had started to break through to Kyoko but now she was Setsuka. The loving younger sister of Cain Heel aka Ren.

Setsu leaned up and interrupted Ren's thought with a kiss on the forehead. "Time to get up," She said. She threw the covers off of herself and onto him covering his head as she climbed out of bed.

He pulled the blanket off his head and looked at her. But his looking quickly turned to staring when he saw what she had worn to bed.

The girl before him was wearing a black camisole and matching black underwear. Obviously, she had changed her clothes after waking up as Setsu.

She stretched then turned around to look at him over her shoulder. She winked at him. "What's wrong, Nii-san?" She laughed.

Ren shook his head. "Nothing, Setsu. I was just thinking how cute you are when you stretch." He answered honestly.

She came back near him, and leaned her head down towards him. "I'm gonna go take a bath." She grabbed his hand. "Are you gonna join me?"

He allowed her to pull him up. He thought about the bath for a moment before realizing what he was thinking of doing.

"Not this time, Setsu." He said. He watched as her smile faded to a frown. She stuck out her lip.

" Why not?" She pouted.

He laughed at her before smiling and ruffling her hair. "I showered last night before bed. I can't take a bath this morning." He said matter-of-factly.

She shrugged off his answer. "Fine," She said as she turned to leave the room. "Your loss."

As soon as she was gone from his sight Ren collapsed on the bed. He buried his face in his hands. _What am I thinking? How could I even consider taking advantage like that?_

He mentally scolded himself as he got ready for work. Once he was dressed he went to the kitchen to get a cup of tea to calm him and remembered that he should call the president to give him an update.

He cringed as he thought of how the president would react. _He's gonna love this._

Ren dialed the President's number and listened as the phone rang.

"Hello," Lory answered in a sing-song voice.

"It's me."

Lory squealed in delight and Ren rolled his eyes. "How's it going with Mio?" Lory inquired.

Ren sighed. "Well, she's not Mio anymore. She's Setsuka Heel."

There was a crash as the president's phone hit the floor. Ren heard scrambling around and waited patiently for him to start talking again.

"She's changed characters? How interesting."

"Yeah, it seems like maybe her mind is switching through characters she's played in order to keep her awake."

"Did you need me to send over some clothes for her then? I know Setsu's style is a bit more… dangerous than Mio's."

Ren opened his mouth to answer but just then Setsu had entered the kitchen. She was wearing a shirt that used to have a high neckline but had now been cut low and cut from the bottom to show her midriff and a skirt that she had cut short with slits on either side. In her hand was a pair of scissors. She smiled at Ren as she put the scissors back in the drawer she had taken them from.

"Ren?" the president asked, waking Ren from his stupor.

"It looks like she'll be able to make due with the ones she's got. Gotta go."

Ren hung up with Lory still trying to talk to him. But he had something better to focus on… Setsu.

Setsu strolled over to the refrigerator and began digging through its contents, while Ren watched her amusedly.

"What do you want for breakfast today, Nii-san?"

Ren shrugged. "I'm sure anything you make will be delicious."

She looked at him and smiled. "You're just happy you don't have to cook." She laughed as she pulled out some eggs and leftover rice. "You're lucky I take such good care of you. I think you'd die without me."

"I probably would." He admitted.

"Right, so you'd better make sure to eat all the food I make you."

After breakfast Ren grabbed his car keys and his phone. He turned to Setsu. "You be good while I'm gone. Don't cause any trouble. I left money for you to order food if you need it." He caressed her head then turned to leave.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him back facing her. "What do you mean?!" She exclaimed angrily. "You can't go out and leave me here alone. I need to be with you."

Ren sighed. "I have work to do. I don't want to bother you by making you come along." In truth, he couldn't bring her due to the risk of someone seeing them together. But he couldn't tell her that.

Setsu spun away from him angrily. She stomped off to his room and slammed the door.

Ren sighed again. He was going to be late, but he couldn't stand to leave her there when she was so upset.

He walked over to the room and opened the door. Although he didn't see Setsu he did see a giant lump under the blankets. He walked over to the bed and crawled inside the blanket with her.

"I'm sorry."

She looked at him slowly and Ren saw tears in her eyes. She looked so hurt about not being able to go with him.

"You can come with me." The words were out of his mouth before he realized what had happened. _Damn it._

Setsu threw herself at him in a hug. "Thank you!"

Ren found himself blushing slightly at how openly affectionate she was. He could only assume that this was how she had developed the character of Setsu but until now her "Kyoko" part had stopped her from fully acting her out.

 _That was probably safer for the both of us though. Now I'm at a disadvantage._

Before long they were in the car. Ren driving and Kyoko in the backseat. Ren had told her that in order for her to come she had to wear a trench coat over her somewhat revealing outfit. She had questioned why until he had roughly grabbed her chin and leaned in close to tell her that he didn't want other men looking at her. After his explanation she had happily obliged.

When they pulled up to Yashiro's residence, Ren jumped out of the car to talk to him while Setsu stayed in the backseat.

She was curious what her brother was talking about but he had ordered her to stay in the car.

Moments later a very serious Ren and very excited Yashiro climbed in the car. Yashiro immediately turned around in his seat to look at her.

He was shocked at how different she looked from her usual self. Even her attitude permeated from her.

"Good morning, Setsu-chan." He greeted her with a smile.

Setsu had already decided she didn't care for this guy. She still didn't get why her brother even needed him, he had her.

She stuck out her tongue at Yashiro, then turned her head to look out the window.

Yashiro looked at Ren confusedly. Ren laughed as he began driving again. "Don't worry about it. She's just pouting."

Yashiro sat in wonder at the change in Kyoko's attitude now that she was Setsu. Ren had already explained why he brought her along to work but he was still a bit concerned about rumors people might start.

Ren parked the car and they walked over to the building as quickly and inconspicuously as possible. Which was kind of difficult since Setsu was holding Ren's hand tightly while they walked.

Once inside the building Setsu was pouting again. "Why do I have to stay in your dressing room?" She whined.

"I told you," Ren began as he caressed her hair and face. "I don't want other guys looking at you."

Setsu's face didn't soften. "I don't care." She stamped her foot on the ground. "I want to be with Nii-san."

Yashiro watched in shock at their exchange. He hadn't realized that they were so close when in character. But he loved it! He was doing everything possible not to squeal in delight.

Ren leaned down to look Setsu in the eyes. His face changed from commanding big brother to defenseless puppy and her resolve disappeared. "Please stay here."

She turned her head away. "Fine. I'll stay here. But you need to come back here to eat lunch with me."

Ren nodded then he gave her a hug and he and Yashiro hurriedly left the room, so as not to be late on set. So he didn't notice the blush creeping up Setsu's face followed by a small smile.

Setsu wandered around the dressing room. She was getting bored quickly so she began looking through some magazines.

"Boring, boring, boring…" She announced as she flipped through the pages. She stopped though as she came across a compatibility quiz. "Interesting!" She searched the room for a pen and finally found one in Ren's desk.

She plopped down onto the small couch and propped her feet up as she began the quiz.

After some time there was a knock on the door and Ren entered. Setsu jumped up, "Nii-san, you took forever." She complained.

Ren smiled at her, "I'm sorry. Did you find things to keep you busy while I was gone?" He asked as he sat down.

Setsu nodded and Ren could see excitement in her eyes. "I took a compatibility quiz."

Ren felt his heart twinge. "Was there a guy Setsu likes?" He asked.

She smiled, she could tell her big brother was jealous. "Maybe…" She said playing along.

Ren felt his temper rising. "Who is it?"

Setsu flipped through the magazine and stopped on an interview page. She held it up for Ren to see the picture.

There in front of him was a picture of Sho Fuwa he could feel his jealousy rising up within him. He struggled to bite it down. If he had been in character as Cain Heel he was sure he would've done something regrettable. But as Ren Tsuruga he had better self control… at least he hoped he did.

He glared at her. "Setsu, do you even know who that is?"

She shrugged. "No, but he's kinda cute." She laughed and looked at the picture again.

This time Ren couldn't gold back his jealousy. Those words coming from Kyoko's mouth so freely pushed him over the edge.

He grabbed the magazine from her, crumpled it up and threw it into the nearby trash can. "Shut up." He turned around in his chair to face away from her.

Setsu stared at him. Maybe she had pushed the joke too far. It seemed like her big brother was really mad now. She walked over to him and started to gently massage his neck.

"Nii-san knows I was just teasing him, right? Nii-san is the only guy I care about." She leaned down and began to kiss his neck. "I was doing the quiz to see how compatible we are."

Ren felt her lips smile against his neck. He was in heaven. All sensible thoughts had left him and he was in a daze. He knew he should stop her but at the moment he couldn't bring himself to. This was exactly what he wanted with Kyoko. He felt a twinge of guilt at this thought but he was soon interrupted.

Just then there was a squeal, but when Setsu turned around she didn't see anything so she resumed "apologizing" to her big brother.

Outside in the hall Yashiro was sitting against the wall nearly hyperventilating. His whole face was red at what he had just seen. His fan boy heart was jumping for joy for his friend.

Ren reached around behind him to grab Setsu and pull her around the chair to sit on his lap.

"So, what was the answer?"

Setsu smiled. "100 percent compatibility."

 **A/N: so this is the last chapter I have written so far. I have some ideas for the rest of Setsu's time but if you have any ideas of what you'd like to see let me know. I'm hoping you all enjoyed the craziness of this chapter. Please review! And thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Reawakening

Ren and Setsu walked through the door to the apartment and Setsu threw herself onto the couch. She lay there staring at the ceiling as Ren watched her. He smiled. No matter who she was there was always a bit of Kyoko visible. Since she had come up with these characters they were infused with her.

He walked passed her and headed towards the bedroom. He wanted to take a shower but was concerned she might try to join him, so he had settled on waiting until she fell asleep. "It's time for bed, Setsu."

She hopped up off the couch and went into her bedroom. She changed into her pajamas, which consisted of some short shorts she had created from some pants she found and a tank top, then she came into Ren's room. He had been in the middle of changing and was a bit startled at her sudden entry.

"You startled me." He said.

Setsu giggled as she climbed into his bed. "Hurry up, Nii-san!" She beckoned to him as he pulled on some pajama pants and a t-shirt.

He climbed into bed next to her. He had already guessed she might want to sleep with him. He found himself holding his breath as she cuddled close to him, wrapping herself around him. When she nuzzled her head against his chest he allowed himself to breathe again. _I'm in control. I'm in control._ He told himself as he tried to calm his racing heart.

Ren lay stiffly in her arms for an hour before he heard her breathing even out. He grabbed the pillow from under him and carefully slipped it into her arms as he removed himself. He gave a sigh of relief as he escaped her grasp.

He slipped out of the room silently and crept down the hall to the bathroom. The warm water relaxed him and he tried to forget about everything that had happened. He needed to focus on getting her back to Kyoko. He felt guilty for enjoying his time with Setsu. But no matter how much he enjoyed the attention he was getting, she was not his Kyoko. She was Cain's.

After some time he realized he should get back to bed in case Setsu would wake up and find him gone.

He climbed out of the shower and dried himself off. He had just pulled on his pants when he heard a blood chilling scream from his room.

Kyoko was dreaming. She was suddenly in the cab again. She gave directions to the cab driver and settled into her seat, flipping through the book she had borrowed from Ren.

Just then she looked up, realizing the car was going rather fast. "Excuse me. Could you slow down please?" She asked. "I'm really not in any rush."

The cab driver waved her off. "I know what I'm doing girly."

She stared out the windshield growing more concerned with every moment. The cab ran a red light.

"You can pull over. I can walk from here." She called to the driver. She felt fear rising in her throat. "Please! Stop the car!"

She looked up through the windshield just in time to see an 18 wheel truck barreling toward them. She screamed in horror.

She opened her eyes and lashed out her arms and legs but suddenly she felt strong arms around her. "It's okay. I'm here."

That voice… "Tsuruga-san?"

Ren pulled away and looked into Kyoko's eyes. He nodded. "Yes, Kyoko… I'm here."

He pulled her back into his arms, comforting her. He could feel her shivering in his arms. "It was so real."

"Shhh… It was just a nightmare." He kissed her head and held her tight until she drifted back to sleep. After that he held her close as he himself fell asleep quickly.

Ren woke up in the morning feeling confused. He was trying to organize his thoughts. He had showered and then there'd been screaming. He had gone to comfort Setsu but had instead found Kyoko. _That's right. I held her while we both fell asleep._ He smiled at the thought then looked down at the woman in his arms.

"Good morning." He said softly, stroking her hair gently.

She stirred and her eyes blinked open. " Good morning, Nii-san. "

Ren felt his smile disappear. She was Setsu once again. He felt his frustration growing. Why was Kyoko so far from him again?

They got ready for the day and headed off to get Yashiro and then to work. Before they knew it, it was lunch time. Ren had one more job left today and so he planned on skipping lunch to just get it taken care of. Setsu did not like this idea though.

"Nii-san," She spoke to him from the backseat. Yashiro listened on in awe. The girl who just an hour before had been pouting like a child now spoke in a tone of scolding.

"Are you really going to skip lunch?" She questioned.

Ren glanced in the rear view mirror and saw the stern look on her face. He felt a bit embarrassed. The way a child does when their mother catches them misbehaving.

He was about to give in when he thought of something. "Well, I was because this is my last job for today. I thought if I finished up early we could spend time together."

She paused. "Just us?" she asked, and Ren could hear the excitement in her voice. "Not even Yashiro-san?"

Yashiro couldn't help but feel a bit hurt at her eagerness to get rid of him but he reminded himself that she wasn't Kyoko right now and let go of those feelings.

Ren smiled. "Yes, Setsu. Just the two of us. And we can spend our time with whatever you want."

"I want to go shopping."

It was two hours later and Ren had finished his work for the day. They were still at the studio but Yashiro had left them to work on some things saying he would take a cab home.

Ren had just asked Setsu what she wanted to do with their free time and was a bit surprised when she answered.

"Shopping? What did you want to buy?"

She shrugged as she spun around in her chair. "I don't know. I just thought Nii-san might want to spoil me a bit since I've been such a good girl." She gave him a flirtatious look.

Ren felt his face grow warm and Setsu giggled at his blush.

"All right, but I need to take care of something really quick then."

Setsu stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. Ren walked over to her and grabbed a hold of her lip. "Look, you can't act like a spoiled brat all the time. I just need a few minutes. If you keep your lip out like this I might have to kiss you."

Setsu's face turned bright red at this threat. She pushed his hand away and looked away from him.

Ren walked to the door of his dressing room. "Are you coming?" he called over his shoulder. He was answered by footsteps and a small hand in his own.

They went to the President's office in the LME building. Ren knocked on the door. The door was flung open moments later by a very excited Lory Takarada.

He looked at Ren then at Setsu and gave an excited squeal. "I got your text." He told Ren as he pulled them into his large office. "I couldn't get Jelly Woods on such short notice but I've explained what needs to be done to Sebastian so I think he can handle it." Lory gestured to his right hand man who looked uncertain.

Lory grabbed Ren and shoved him towards Sebastian. "Come on now, you can't keep Setsu-chan waiting for too long!"

Setsu wasn't quite sure what to make of the man in front of her. She knew he was Cain's boss, and he knew who she was but… _He's kind of weird._

Setsu felt a cup of tea being shoved into her hands and Lory led her to a couch nearby. "Please, sit."

They sat down opposite each other and the president watched her strangely. Almost obsessively. At first she thought he was a pervert but as she watched him she felt more of a fatherly affection than anything.

She sipped her tea quietly. "This is a nice office." She said as she looked around.

Lory nodded in thanks but he was distracted. Although she had done a very good job of creating Setsu inspired outfits from Mio's clothes he wasn't quite satisfied.

He jumped up suddenly and ran out of the room. Setsu was now even more comfused. What the heck was going on.

A few minutes later the president came back in the room carrying an arm full of clothes and shoes.

"Here," he said holding it out to her. "I found you some clothes you might like better. I know you're going shopping but at least you can be comfortable for the shopping trip."

Setsu looked through the clothes. Sure enough the things here were much more her style. She nodded her thanks and started picking out some of the clothes.

Ren was now dressed as Cain and wearing his wig. He had had to figure out the make up because contrary to what the president thought, Sebastian had no idea how to put on the Cain make up.

After half an hour Cain was ready. He closed his eyes and let go of "Ren" to take hold of Cain. "I'm ready."

When he re-entered Lord's office he was surprised to see her dressed differently from when he had left. She was wearing knee high black leather boots with stiletto type heels, tight black pants that had a see-through lace up the sides of her legs. For her shirt she was wearing what to him resembled a black bra with a lacy top over it.

His heart began to race at the sight of her. She looked like Setsu…. He felt guilty for a moment. Then remembered. _I am Cain Heel. I can be happy and excited to see her. Perhaps acting like this will help bring back Kyoko._

"Wow Nii-san," she said pulling at his sleeve. "You look really good! Are you ready to go?"

He nodded to her. "Thank you, boss." He told the president. Lory tossed him some keys. " You can't drive around in your own car."

Ren nodded and tossed his keys to the President and then they left.

They made their way to the temporary transportation and climbed inside. Cain turned to his sister as he started the engine.

"Where to first?"

 **A/N: so I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter is gonna have a lot more stuffers! Lol. I'm enjoying writing Setsu a lot. Please review! Should have the next chapter ready in a few days and it'll be much longer lol. Happy new year!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: hey everyone! So I had someone point out to me that they were confused about something so I wanted to clarify. When Kyoko is in each character she sees herself as tthem even if there are physical differences. When she was Mio she looked in the mirror and saw the scar. Now as Setsu her mind is filling in the blanks and she sees Ren as Cain whether or not he is dressed like Cain. Him changing to look like Cain now is for secrecy not for her benefit. So please enjoy the chapter and leave me a review if able!**

Chapter 7: A Violent Encounter

"Where to first?" Cain asked his little sister. Setsu looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I think there were some clothing shops nearby, right Nii-san?" she pointed in the direction of a nearby shopping center.

Cain nodded and began driving.

They arrived and Setsu led them into a department store. She headed straight for the women's section and began looking at different items before putting them in Cain's arms. He found himself carrying them willingly. Anything she wanted he wanted.

Finally they had a big stack of items and she led him over to the changing rooms.

"How many items do you have?" a worker asked without looking up from her magazine.

Setsu counted her items. "Twenty-three."

The girl looked up. "You can only take in six at a time."

Setsu smiled. "I'm pretty sure I can take them all in." she said in a threatening tone. "Come on, Nii-san."

Cain followed her into the back and the worker stared after them dumbstruck. She hadn't been able to refuse them after seeing Cain. She found herself shaking all over and quickly called for someone to come relieve her. She did not want to see them again.

Setsu led her brother into the largest changing room. "You can set the stuff down over there." She said, pointing to the bench against the wall.

Cain set everything down and turned around to see Setsu had already closed the door.

 _What is she doing?_ Ren found himself wondering. He turned to look at her and saw she was already taking off her clothes. He groaned inwardly. _This has to be my punishment for all the times I've teased her._

He couldn't force himself to look away as he watched her undress. She was so beautiful. She pulled on a tight dark red dress. It was more punk rocker style than fancy so it still suited Setsu.

She glanced at him in the mirror. "Can you help with the zipper?" she asked, waking him from his dreamlike state.

He walked to her and closed the zipper. He found his hands sliding down the sides of her body, enjoying the feel of her shape.

"What do you think?" she asked him turning back and forth in the mirror.

Ren was trying to focus. He could be this way but only if he was Cain. _It's not right for me to enjoy this without Kyoko's permission,_ he scolded himself.

"It looks good on you." He responded, remembering she had asked his opinion.

She tried on several more outfits and before long he had two stacks of clothes. The ones she wanted and the ones she didn't want. They exited the dressing room and Cain dropped the unwanted pile onto the attendant's desk.

"Thank you," a scared voice called from behind the stack.

Setsu chuckled at her brother. "I think you're scaring the workers."

Cain turned her chin up so she was looking at him. "But that's what you wanted right?"

She gave him a little smile.

After they had finished shopping they went into a nearby restaurant to eat dinner. They had ordered drinks and Setsu had picked out an appetizer. They began looking through the menu to find what they each wanted.

Setsu began to rub her feet against his feet. His heart began to race. She leaned against him in the booth, and Ren was beginning to regret agreeing to sit on the same side.

She rested her hand on his leg and Ren thought his heart was going to jump out of his chest. He had come completely out of character now and was having trouble calming himself as her hand gently slid up and down his thigh.

The waitress approached their table again. "Have you two decided what you'd like to order?"

Setsu ordered immediately but Ren found himself unable to focus. "I'll have the same thing." He answered quickly. The waitress nodded and turned to walk away. She glanced back at them. "I just wanted to say you guys make a really cute couple." She smiled at them and then walked away.

Ren was feeling very warm now. He needed to get away from her for a minute. He didn't want to do something he shouldn't.

He stood up. "Where are you going?" Setsu asked.

"I have to use the bathroom."

Setsu nodded and started to get up. Cain put a hand on her shoulder. "You need to wait here for your food. You can eat when the food gets here."

He gave her a gentle smile, and she nodded.

Ren entered the bathroom and looked in the mirror. He didn't know how much longer he could handle Setsu. She was driving him crazy and he was losing his self control.

While Cain was in the bathroom, Setsu doodled on a napkin, played a game on her phone and stared around the restaurant at random things. She saw a cool picture on a nearby wall. It was a Gothic style mural.

She got up to go look at it. She stopped in front of it and stared at the picture, until someone bumped into her.

"Watch where you're going!"

She looked at the man who had knocked her down. He looked familiar but she couldn't place him. She got herself back up with no help from him.

"I wasn't walking. You were." She said heatedly, as she brushed herself off.

Sho stared at the girl before him. He was openly checking her out. She was hot. Just the kind of girl he liked.

It was time to play his "I'm famous" card.

"Hey there. I'm Sho Fuwa." He said smoothly, leaning against the wall in front of her.

She looked at him with understanding. She finally realized who he was. "Sho Fuwa, you're a singer right?"

He nodded, then his eyes narrowed. "Wait a second… Do I know you from somewhere?"

Setsu shrugged. "I don't think so." She turned to walk away back to her table.

"Hey wait!" Sho called as he grabbed hold of her wrist.

She tried to shake him off. "Get away from me!"

Sho pulled her towards him to look at her. Why did she seem so familiar?

"Ow!" Setsu exclaimed, the pressure Sho was exerting to hold her was becoming painful.

Just then it released and she fell backwards straight into Cain's arms. She tried to piece together what had happened but all she knew was that her big brother was holding her and Sho Fuwa was lying on the ground with a busted lip.

"What the hell!" Sho yelled at Cain. Then he fell silent at Cain's threatening glare.

"Don't you ever come near her again."

Cain turned and he and Setsu went back to their table where their food was waiting. He smiled to himself as he heard the sounds of Sho scrambling to leave the restaurant.

Ren had just been exiting the bathroom when he'd heard Setsu's cries. He had rushed over and seen Sho Fuwa holding her arm roughly.

He didn't know if Sho had recognized her but he hoped his threat had been effective either way. Inside he was happy. He had finally been able to protect her from Sho.

Once seated again Setsu leaned up to kiss Cain on the cheek. "Thank you, Nii-san."

That night as Ren tried to sleep he wondered how much longer it would be until his Kyoko returned. A part of him hoped she would have another nightmare so that he'd get another chance to talk to her, but none came. It was late when he finally fell into a restless sleep.

"Nii-san," Setsu called to her brother. She poked his face as she lay next to him. "It's getting late."

Ren opened his eyes and peered up at her through a blur. "What time is it?"

She checked his phone. "7:30."

Ren sat bolt upright. He had a job at eight. And he still had to get dressed and pick up Yashiro. "Damn it. I'm gonna be late. What happened to my alarm?"

Setsu looked down shyly. "Nii-san, looked so tired. So I wanted him to sleep."

Ren felt frustration rise up inside of him. But he didn't have time to scold her right now. "We'll talk about it in the car. Get dressed." He said harshly as he jumped out of bed and rushed to get ready.

Once in the car, Setsu stared out of the window, purposely avoiding Ren's eyes.

"Setsuka," Ren started, and she blushed a bit at his use of her full name.

"You knew I had work first thing and you purposely let me sleep in. That was really selfish of you."

Setsu stared at the floor. Tears welling up in her eyes. Her brother had never spoken to her like this. Normally he indulged her spoiled nature.

Ren glanced at her as he spoke. But it looked like she hadn't been listening. Her head was bowed and her fists were balled on her knees. He was about to scold her for not listening, but then he saw big teardrops land on her hands.

 _I made her cry._ He pulled the car over. He had forgotten who he was to her. He was supposed to be her doting big brother. Cain Heel would never yell at his little sister over something like this.

He unbuckled her seat belt and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry, Setsu." He whispered into her ear.

Immediately he heard sobs from her. His shoulder was quickly soaked with her tears as he held her.

"I'm. Sorry. Nii. San." She said each word in gasps as she struggled to stop crying.

Ren pulled her away so he could look at her. His heart hurt when he saw her eyes. He wiped away the tears. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Setsu. I'm just stressed today. It's gonna be a long day and you know how I hate long hours."

Setsu smiled at him. She leaned up and kissed his nose.

"All right, now let's get going."

After picking up Yashiro and arriving at the first studio they were working in today Ren left Setsu to relax in his dressing room. He had given her his headphones to use if she wanted to listen to music while waiting.

She was sitting in a chair and listening to her music so she didn't hear a knock on the door. An errand boy for the studio entered the room then stopped upon seeing Setsu. She looked up at his sudden entry.

"Excuse me, miss. I'm sorry. I-I knocked."

She smiled at him sweetly. "Did you need something?" she asked as she approached him. A blush crept up his cheeks.

He held out a bag towards her. "I'm just delivering Tsuruga-san's fan mail."

Setsu took the bag. "Thank you." she laughed as she watched him all but run from the room. She then proceeded to dump out the bag of letters on the table.

Immediately she was overwhelmed with scents of perfume that had been sprayed on each letter. "What the hell?"

She pulled out a pink enveloped that was decorated with glitter. She opened it and began to read the lovey dovey note written to her brother.

Setsu felt anger and jealousy building up inside her with each letter she read. How could all these girls confess their love for a person they didn't even know? He was her Nii-san.

Setsu stuffed the letters back into the bag and threw them all into a nearby trash can in the hall. Surely her brother had no need for such things.

They went from the first studio to LME for a drama filming. Ren went to work and returned to his dressing room for lunch.

"Yashiro is grabbing lunches for us." He told Setsu as they sat together on the couch.

She nodded and cuddled closers to him. Ren had noticed that she had been more clingy today, but he assumed it was because of their argument that morning.

Just then there was a knock on the door. Ren kissed Setsu's head before rising to answer the door.

"H-Hello T-tsuruga-san."

Setsu's ears perked up at the sound of a woman's voice.

"Hello, Mayo-san. Can I help you?"

Setsu went to stand near the door so she could see what was happening.

The girl held out a box wrapped in cloth. "I made you a lunch Tsuruga-san. Will you please enjoy it." She spoke quickly and had her eyes tightly shut.

Ren smiled at her gently. "Thank you for your thought. But my manager has already gone to get lunch for me. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to eat both."

The girls smile faltered. "Please, take it still. If you at least try a little bit it would make me very happy!"

Ren sighed inwardly but kept a smile on his face as he accepted the food. "Thank you, Mayo-san."

Setsu felt the jealousy from before rising up. Why was her brother being so kind to this girl? She was the only girl allowed to make him food. How dare this girl assume she has this right?

"Setsu, what are you-stop!"

Ren tried to grab her as she took the box from him and threw it into the hall where it splattered on the floor.

The girl gasped in shock.

"Don't you ever bring my Nii-san food! He belongs to me. Don't ever come here again!" Ren pulled her back into the dressing room and sat her on the couch before stepping into the hall to apologize to his co-star.

Moments later he re-entered the room looking serious. "What was that?" he asked her, as he collapsed on the couch next to her.

She climbed on top of him, straddling him. "Nii-san, do you like that girl?"

Ren could hear the hurt in her voice. "No, but that's not the point."

She leaned her head on his chest hugging him. Ren closed his eyes. Setsu was certainly causing trouble. They sat together for several minutes as Ren thought about how to fix what she had done.

His phone rang suddenly and he saw it was the president.

"Yes?" he answered. "Unfortunately. Yes. I understand. I'll send her up."

Setsu watched as her brother talked on the phone. When he hung up she asked him what had happened.

"The president thinks it might be better if you waited in his office until my work is done today."

Setsu looked down. "Did I cause problems for you, Nii-san?"

Ren sighed. "It's okay. Things can be fixed easy enough." He ran a hand through her hair lovingly.

"Do you remember the way up there?" he asked.

She nodded. "Thank you." She leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips. She then rose and exited the room. Ren sat there for a moment stunned. It seemed he was getting kisses all the time lately. But it was either that he wasn't himself or she wasn't herself. _Why can't we just be "Ren and Kyoko" and kiss?_

Setsu made it to the president's office but found it empty when she got there. She went over to the couch she had sat on the last time and laid down. Soon enough all of her crazy emotions today had caught up to her and she fell asleep.

Meanwhile inside Kyoko's head, the Setsu spirit was crying hysterically while Pure Kyoko tried to comfort her.

"Nii-san hates me!" she wailed.

Pure Kyoko sighed. "I'm sure it'll be fine." She looked at Setsu spirits face. "How about you stay here for now?" she suggested.

She turned to the two other spirits who were watching the glass coffin.

One of them spoke up suddenly. "It's missing a piece now!"

Pure Kyoko rushed to the coffin. "She's almost there! Can you handle it next Kuon?"

The Kuon spirit smiled confidently at her. "Of course!" he said in English.

She nodded at him before sending him off.

 _Hang in there Kyoko!_

Kuon opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying on a couch in Boss' office. He glanced down at himself.

 _What the heck am I wearing?_ He wondered before going in search of more appropriate clothing. He wandered into the President's wardrobe room.

After finding some clothes that he was more comfortable in he exited the room and returned to the main office. He had changed into some comfortable jeans, and a button down shirt as well as having fixed his hair.

He was going to begin looking for something to do when he heard something. He stepped into another part of the office and saw a little girl sitting on a chair crying softly.

"Are you okay, Miss?" he asked, speaking in English.

Maria looked up at him. _Who are you?_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: His Younger Self

"Are you okay, Miss?" Kuon asked, speaking in English.

Maria looked up at him. _Who are you?_ She wondered. _And why are you speaking in English?_

Kuon paused for a moment. "Oh!" he exclaimed as he pounded his fist into his hand. "Do you speak Japanese?" he asked, this time in Japanese.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The boy smiled and stuck out his hand. "I'm Kuon. Kuon Hizuri." He shook her hand enthusiastically.

She looked at him uncertainly. "I'm Maria."

He sat next to her on the arm of her chair. "Why were you crying, Maria?"

She stared down at her lap and clenched her fists. "I got in trouble at school today. My teacher took my curse dolls."

Kuon's eyes went wide. "You use curse dolls?"

Maria nodded, waiting for him to say she was weird or scary.

Kuon smiled thoughtfully. "That's pretty cool."

Maria smiled up at this boy. He was very handsome. And he strangely reminded her of both Ren and Kyoko. _Maybe this is what their son would look like if they had one…_ she found herself wondering.

Kuon waved a hand in front of her face. "Maria?"

She jumped. "Sorry, what was that?"

He laughed. "I asked how old you are."

"I'm eight."

"Cool. I'm ten. You don't seem as young as eight."

Maria blushed at his compliment. Just then she heard the sound of the office door. "Oh, that'll probably be grandpa."

Lory Takarada entered his office and was surprised to see not only his granddaughter but a young boy next to her.

Upon further inspection he realized that the boy was not a boy, but was Kyoko. He quickly remembered the only other time he'd seen her like this. _When she was working with Kuu. She must be Kuon._ Lory held back a laugh.

Ren was going to love this.

After finishing his jobs for the day, Ren drove Yashiro home and then headed back to LME to pick up Setsu. He was not looking forward to having to lecture her about her behavior today. Mostly because he didn't know how to lecture her without making her cry.

He had just entered the president's office when Maria ran to him. He leaned down to hug her.

"How are you, Maria-chan?"

She beamed up at him. "I'm wonderful Ren. I made a new friend today. Come on!" she pulled him up and started taking him farther into the office.

Ren wondered if maybe she had met Setsu. But when he entered the next room he stopped in his tracks. He saw Lory sitting on a couch in front of a big television playing a video game, next to him sat a young boy.

 _Oh my gosh. She's Kuon._

Maria pulled Ren over by the couch. "Ren this is my new friend! His name is Kuon."

Kuon looked up from the game and saw Ren. Realization washed over his face. He stood and held out his hand. "Mr. Ren!"

Ren shook Kuon's hand. "Nice to see you again Kuon."

Kuon smiled, happy to see Ren remembered him. Maria looked back and forth between them. "You two know each other?"

Ren nodded. "We met the last time Kuon came here with his dad a few months ago."

Lory smiled at Ren's reaction. He could see the wheels turning in Ren's head. "Kuon, you'll be staying with Ren until your dad gets back from his work."

Kuon nodded. "I won't be an inconvenience to you, Mr. Ren?"

Ren laughed. "No, it'll be fine. And you can just call me Ren. You don't have to add Mr."

Kuon thought for a second. "All right then Ren."

The president stood up and grabbed something off of a nearby chair. "Here are your things, Kuon." He said as he handed a suitcase to him.

Kuon took it happily. "Thanks again, Boss!" and with that he followed Ren out of the office and down to his car.

As they drove Ren noticed that Kuon kept glancing at him. He found it quite amusing to see his younger self sitting in his passenger seat. Even if Kyoko hadn't known that's who she was supposed to create he knew she must've based some of it off of Corn given the personality he had witnessed.

"Are you okay, Kuon?" Ren asked.

Kuon looked down then looked back up at Ren. "Yeah, ummm Mr- I mean. Ren…"

Ren laughed at the boy's uncertain way of speaking. "You can just come out and ask whatever you want to know."

Kuon nodded purposefully. "Can you please teach me to be a great actor like you?!"

Ren's eyes went wide. He hadn't expected that. _Now that I think about it, I was really excited about acting at that age._

Ren glanced at Kuon out of the corner of his eye. "I'm not sure if you're ready to be an actor? Why don't you just ask your dad to teach you?"

Kuon's face turned red. "I don't want to embarrass my dad. So I thought maybe since I'm staying with you, you could teach me."

Ren felt a sense of nostalgia. "I guess I could show you a few pointers while you're here."

Kuon laughed, "All right!"

Ren parked his car when they arrived and they made their way up to the apartment. Kuon looked around the apartment and then his new room. He didn't look satisfied until he had thrown himself onto the bed.

"Seems comfortable enough." He smiled at Ren. "So what do we do now?"

Ren checked the time on his phone. "Well, it's already past eleven so you go to bed," Kuon groaned at this. "And I stay up and work."

"Can I stay up too?" he asked hopefully.

Ren was unsure. Weren't kids supposed to go to bed at a decent time?

 _But then again she's not really a kid…_

Ren sighed. "Fine. But only because you're on vacation. And you have to promise to be up on time tomorrow."

Kuon saluted Ren. "Yes, sir!"

An hour later Ren found himself starting to doze while reading over a script. His head began to droop but he awoke a moment later. He stood up and stretched realizing it was time for bed. Then he looked down and saw Kuon fast asleep on the floor holding a pillow to his chest.

Ren smiled at the sight. He set down his papers and leaned down to pick up Kuon. He scooped him into his arms and carried him to the guest room. As he tucked him in he found himself thinking about being a dad someday.

He sighed. _Maybe if Kyoko ever returns to herself that'll be a possibility._

He left the room and returned to his own thinking of all the obstacles still in his way. It seemed like the whole planet was trying to stop him from being with Kyoko.

He fell asleep quickly and was startled awake when his curtains opened letting in sunlight.

"What time is it?" he groaned pulling a pillow over his face to prevent being blinded by the sunlight.

Kuon laughed. "It's six. You never mentioned what time we needed to get up so I figured I'd come and wake you."

Ren sighed. Of course, this kid would wake up early. _And to think, I didn't have to be awake for another hour._

They each showered and got dressed for the day. Ren made his way to the kitchen and served himself a cup of coffee. Kuon appeared moments later.

"Did you want me to help make breakfast?" Kuon offered. Ren thought about it for a second, weighing the chances that ten year old Kuon was a good cook and decided against it.

"That's all right. We'll pick something up."

After picking up breakfast, the two drove to pick up Yashiro at his residence.

"Good morning, Ren," Yashiro greeted him cheerfully. He glanced at the back seat. "Good morning, Set- umm…" he stopped upon seeing Kyoko. He looked at Ren. "Setsu is gone?"

Ren nodded, smiling.

Kuon leaned forward between the seats. "Hi! I'm Kuon." He stared at Yashiro for a moment. "I remember you! You're Ren's manager, right?"

Yashiro nodded. "Yes, I'm Yashiro."

Kuon smiled. "I'm staying with Ren for a few days. He's gonna teach me about acting." He told Yashiro excitedly.

Yashiro raised his eyebrows towards Ren, who only shrugged in response.

"Let's get going." Ren said as he put the car into drive and headed towards work.

When they arrived at the studio, Kuon was fascinated by everything. He pointed out every bird, flower, and tree on the way inside and once inside began to question Ren and Yashiro about every person, room, and piece of information attached to the wall.

"Who's office is this one? Is that the cafeteria? Do you know who that is?"

Ren sighed at the endless questions, as he tried to answer them all. "That's the head of the singing sections office. Yes that is the cafeteria. I'm pretty sure that's a janitor."

Finally they reached the studio where Ren would be working. Ren turned to Yashiro. "I have to head to wardrobe, can you show Kuon to my dressing room?"

Kuon sighed loudly. "Aww. Can't I look around? I don't want to be stuck in a room all day."

Ren looked thoughtful. He glanced at Yashiro. "What do you think?"

Yashiro shrugged.

"I guess as long as you stay out of trouble-"

"Yes!" Kuon cheered. "I won't cause any trouble."

Ren patted him on the head. "All right. Just be back here by 12:30. That's when we'll break for lunch."

Kuon nodded before running off.

After an hour and a half, Kuon had explored most of the areas open to guests. He'd even gone to an open filming and watched for a bit. Finally he headed towards the cafeteria to buy himself a drink with some money Ren had given him in the car.

He had just purchased a soda and took his first drink before turning the corner and crashing into someone.

They both tumbled to the ground and Kuon's soda spilled across the floor. He looked up and saw a girl who looked to be around sixteen. A very pretty girl with long dark hair.

He jumped up and held out his hand to help her up. "I am so sorry!"

She gave him an irritated look before accepting his hand. "This is why people shouldn't bring kids to the studio." She sighed. Then looked at him a bit longer. "Do I know you?"

Kuon shook his head. "I don't think so. I'm pretty sure I'd remember you."

Kanae shook her head in exasperation. "Are you an actor? Or did someone just bring you along to cause trouble?"

Kuon stared at the ground seeing the mess he made. "I'm really sorry. I wasn't trying to cause trouble. Ren will be mad if he finds out I caused trouble."

Kanae looked at him suspiciously. "Ren? As in Ren Tsuruga? He brought you here?"

 _I thought he was smart enough not to bring some kid to work._

She rolled her eyes. "Mo. Well I guess I'd better take you back to him then." She looked around and saw a janitor. "Oy, there's a mess here that needs cleaning."

She grabbed Kuon's hand. "C'mon kid, we've gotta go find Tsuruga-san."

Kuon smiled at the warm feeling he got where she had grabbed his hand. He wasn't sure what it was, but he liked this girl.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: here's the next chapter. I've planned for about 5 more chapters right now. Hopefully you all enjoy my plans of where to take this! Enjoy!**

Chapter 9: Best Friends

Moko grabbed Kuon's hand. "C'mon kid, we've gotta go find Tsuruga-san."

Kuon couldn't help. But stare at her as she led him down hallways. And eventually to the elevator. "What floor was he filming on?"

Kuon tried to think. "Hmmm… maybe four or five?"

Moko sighed irritably. "Why didn't you make sure to remember what floor?!" she pulled him inside the elevator and hit the 4 button.

"What's your name anyway?"

"I'm Kuon."

She nodded. "Okay, so Kuon, how do you know Tsuruga-san? Are you like his brother or something?"

Kuon shook his head. "No, my Dad just has him watching me while he's out of town."

The elevator dinged and they stepped out. Moko flagged down a staff member. "Do you know if Ren Tsuruga is filming on this floor? I'm delivering something to him."

The worker nodded. "Yes, they are filming in studio D-8." She pointed down a nearby hall.

Moko nodded. "Thank you."

She dragged Kuon off in the direction the worker had pointed. "You should stay with him if he's supposed to be watching you. Not wandering around causing trouble."

They entered the studio and watched filming for a moment until the director called cut and they began to change the set.

Moko took Kuon over to where Ren and Yashiro stood. "I found something of yours." She said pushing Kuon forward.

Kuon stumbled towards Ren who steadied him. "Kotonami-san, what are you doing here?"

"I was here working when I ran into him." She nodded towards Kuon. "Who is he? He looks familiar."

Ren nodded silently to Yashiro and he led Kuon away. "Let's go talk to the director for a little bit."

Ren took a step closers to Moko. "Kotonami-san, this- Kuon- is Kyoko. It's a character she played before. She keeps switching characters every few days. And now she's Kuon. A ten year old boy."

Moko stared at him as she absorbed all the information. "What the hell?"

Ren gave a hollow laugh. "Yeah, I know."

"She'll eventually turn back to normal though right?"

Ren shook his head. "We don't know if she'll ever be back to her true self. Until then I'm just keeping an eye on her to make sure no one recognizes her and that she doesn't get hurt."

Moko frowned in thought. "Does anything trigger her to change? Like have you noticed a certain thing happening before she changes?"

Ren thought about it. _She was Mio until I started treating her nicely as Katsuki. Then she was Setsu until I started scolding her as Cain._

"She seems to change characters when the people she's around act different from how she expects them to act."

"Mo! Well how does that help."

Ren laughed at her response then an idea hit him. "Are you busy today?"

Moko looked at him suspiciously. "I'm actually free for today, I was just in for a meeting earlier. Why?"

"I was thinking maybe you could babysit?"

"So where are we going?" Kuon asked her excitedly as they climbed into a taxi cab outside of the studio where Ren was working.

Moko sighed. _How the he'll did I get stuck babysitting? She's super annoying as a kid. I don't even like kids._

"We are going to my agency. LME."

"Oh! You and Ren are from the same agency."

She nodded.

"What should I call you?" Kuon asked suddenly. "Miss Kotonami? Or Miss Kanae?"

She glanced out the window then back at him. "You can call me Moko-san."

When they arrived at LME it was nearly one o'clock.

"Are you hungry?" Moko asked Kuon.

Before he could answer his stomach grumbled. "I'll buy us lunch."

They went through the line in the cafeteria and when it was time to pay Moko pulled out the credit card Ren had given her.

" _In case you guys need anything while you have her." He had said as he handed it to her. "You can return it to me when I meet you to pick her up tonight."_

"It's the least he can do since he's making me babysit." She muttered to herself.

As they sat down they began talking. "So, how do you like Tsuruga-san?" Moko asked.

Kuon smiled. "I didn't like him at first. Because he played Katsuki in Dark Moon."

She looked at him curiously.

"Oh! You see my dad played Katsuki the first time, in Tsukigomori. So I was mad because he was good at it. He was better than my dad." Kuon stared at the table. "But now I like him. And he's gonna teach me to be an actor as good as he is!"

Moko choked on her food. "He's going to teach you to be as good as him in just a few days?" she struggled not to laugh.

Kuon's face fell. "I guess not. But I'll do my best!"

 _Even when she's a boy, she's still Kyoko._

After they finished eating, Moko showed Kuon the LoveMe section room.

"This is where the LoveMe section hangs out in between jobs." She told him.

Kuon suppressed a laugh at the name. "So, how many LoveMe members are there?"

"Well, there's me, Amamiya-san, and" she paused for a moment. It was weird to be telling Kyoko about herself. "And Kyoko. It's just the three of us right now."

Kuon nodded and they sat down together. Moko stared at him from across the table. _What was it Tsuruga-san said? In order to make her change characters somebody has to act different from how she'd expect. Well, that's no good. Kuon doesn't know me so he'd have no expectations. But maybe…_

"Are you okay Moko-san?"

She looked up at him and saw a concerned look on his face. It was a look that typically Kyoko gave her. _She must be in there somewhere. I have to try._

"I'm fine. Say Kuon, you remember the girl I mentioned Kyoko?"

Kuon nodded. "Yeah you said she was a LoveMe member."

"She's my best friend." Moko emphasized the words hoping Kyoko would hear them. "We have a special friendship that crosses the lines of friendship into sisterhood." She knew she was laying it on thick but she needed to. It was the only way she could think of to act out of the normal that Kyoko would expect.

Moko spent the next hour pouring out every feeling she could think of about Kyoko. She gushed praises. She talked so much about it that she ran out of things to say.

She looked up to see if any of this had phased Kuon.

"And… he's asleep." She felt irritation bubble up but it quickly dissipated. _Well, hopefully that helped a little bit._ She pulled out a script out of her bag and began flipping through it.

Meanwhile in Kyoko's head…

Pure Kyoko stood over the cracked glass coffin and watched as small pieces began to fall off the coffin.

"She's almost awake!"

She turned around to check on the other spirits and saw Kuon spirit napping on the floor. She approached him and patted his head.

"I guess we could only expect so much before you'd get tired out. You are still a kid." She sighed as she looked around the room. "Who's left?"

Another spirit stepped forward. "I'll go." She volunteered. "I'll curious about this guy. He made Mio scared and Setsu cry. I wonder what he'll do with me."

She stepped forward to take control. Pure Kyoko shook her head as she watched. "Please be careful."

Moko's phone began to ring and she hurriedly grabbed it. It was the director for a new drama. They were having issues arranging schedules and she soon got loud enough to cause Kuon to stir. But when he awoke, it was no longer Kuon in control of Kyoko's body.

Natsu stretched and stood up from her seat. She crossed silently to the mirror nearby.

 _What am I wearing? This is not fashionable at all._ She looked through her pockets and found a small wad of cash. _Guess this'll have to do._

She then headed for the door.

Moko turned around as she hung up on the phone. She looked to check on Kuon but he wasn't there.

"Oh crap." She turned and ran out the door to the LoveMe section and glanced down both sides of the hallway. She could see his shoe just before he turned the corner and ran after him.

"Kuon! Hey kid! Get back here!"

She ran until she got closer and Kuon stopped. But when Kuon turned around he seemed different.

"Why'd you run off like that?" Moko asked as she tried to regain her breath from running.

Natsu watched the girl before her curiously. "Your name was Moko, right?"

Moko nodded but it didn't seem like Kyoko was Kuon anymore. _Then who-_

"I'm Natsu." Moko stared at the girl before her. She gave off that popular girl vibe that Moko hated.

Natsu looked at her. "We are friends right?"

Moko could only figure that all of her best friend talk had affected this new character.

"Uh, yeah. We are." Moko sighed. "Anyway, where we're you running off to do suddenly?"

"I'm going shopping." She said matter-of-factly. She gestured to her outfit. "I must've been asleep when I got dressed. I can't be out in public like this." She laughed and flashed Moko a stunning smile she had never seen from Kyoko.

Natsu turned to leave. "Are you coming?"

 _Well, I did promise to keep an eye on her._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Shopping Spree

"Taxi!" Natsu called as she leaned out into the street.

Moko cursed under her breath. _Now babysitting has turned into a shopping trip. Just great._

A taxi stopped and they climbed in.

"Where's the nearest mall?" Natsu asked the driver.

The driver gestured up the road. "There's a big shopping mall about ten minutes away."

She nodded in response, "Perfect!"

She turned to Moko. "I'm so excited! Shopping alone is no fun. It's so much better with another girl to give her opinion."

"I don't really know that much about clothes." She responded.

Natsu laughed. "Come on, you have a decent fashion sense."

 _I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult._

When they arrived at the mall, Natsu dragged her into the first department store they saw.

"Let's look in here!" she led her to their clothing section and began to pick out various clothing items. She held out a dress to Moko.

"Here, I think this would look good on you."

Moko took it from her automatically. "I didn't really plan on buying anything." She said, but her words were lost as Natsu began to pile more clothes into her arms.

Before long they each entered a dressing room and began their fashion show. Moko hadn't planned to, but she wound up getting into it.

After several minutes they even had an audience watching as they modeled outfits.

"That one girl walks just like a model."

"They look like movie stars!"

Moko quickly realized they were receiving too much attention. She grabbed Natsu's arm. "Maybe we should finish up here and go to some other stores."

Natsu looked through the pile of clothes she had tried on. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Did you pick out what stuff you're gonna buy?"

Moko shook her head. "I don't really have money to buy stuff."

Natsu was about to respond when Moko's phone interrupted them.

"Hello?" Moko answered.

"How are you guys doing?"

It was Ren. Moko glanced towards where Natsu was sorting through her choices.

"We're doing good. But she's not Kuon anymore."

"She's not? Who is she now?" he asked.

Moko could here Yashiro in the background letting Ren know their break was over.

"She's some girl named Natsu. She kinda acts like a popular girl, walks like a model."

"Oh, from her new drama. Box R. Okay, just keep her occupied. I'll call when I'm done with work. Thank you, Kotonami-san." He said and then hung up.

"Who was that?" Natsu asked as she turned to Moko with her arms full of the clothes she had picked out.

"It was just Tsuruga-san." She said as she put her phone away, but when she looked in her bag she saw the credit card and came up with a plan.

"Who's Tsuruga-san? Is he your boyfriend?"

Moko shook her head. "Actually, he's a famous actor." She smiled. "and he's your boyfriend."

"My boyfriend?" Natsu asked.

"Yes, Ren Tsuruga, he's twenty-one, super good looking, and an amazing actor." Moko told her with a smile. _This is his reward for everything he's dealt with from her._

Natsu nodded as her brain struggle to adjust to the new information. "Oh, right! Ren-kun, we've been dating for like three months. I guess I'm just not used to hearing him be called 'Tsuruga-san'." She said with a laugh.

 _Well, that was easy enough._ Moko thought. "Oh, yeah. Here." She held out the credit card to Natsu. "He gave this to me earlier. He said for you to use it to get whatever you need."

Natsu smiled. "He really is such a good boyfriend."

A couple of hours later, the girls were laden down with multiple bags of clothes. They settled in at a restaurant to eat dinner.

"So, you're an actress too? Right Moko-san?" Natsu asked as they began eating their food.

Moko nodded. "Yeah, that's how we met."

"Through Ren-kun?"

Moko nodded as she tried not to make a face at Natsu's way of calling Ren.

"I'm so glad I have a best friend like you," Natsu told her. "It's not as fun when I go shopping by myself."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. It was kind of fun."

Natsu grabbed Moko's hand in a Kyoko-like fashion. "Promise me," she said, staring at Moko with a serious look. "That we'll always be best friends."

Moko nodded silently.

Then Natsu burst out laughing. "You should've seen the look on your face. Did you think I was seriously being so dramatic?"

Moko sat in shock. _This girl may be similar to Kyoko but she's definitely not the same._

As they finished eating Moko's phone buzzed with a message from Ren.

"Going to be heading back to LME. We should be there by 9:00."

Natsu looked at her friend. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, that was Tsuruga-san. He asked us to meet him back at LME."

Natsu nodded. "Well then, let's get going."

When Ren and Yashiro arrived at LME they headed for the LoveMe section room. Ren was nervous about seeing her as Natsu. He didn't know much about this character aside from the few things Kyoko had mentioned and having seen her in costume a couple of times.

He opened the door to the break room and saw her. She looked graceful and he could tell that the model lessons had definitely helped.

She smiled when she saw him. She moved away from Moko and towards Ren quickly.

"Ren-kun!" she exclaimed. As she reached him she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down to her and kissed his cheek.

"Ren-kun?" Yashiro wondered allowed.

Moko stepped forward. "Yeah, that's what Natsu calls her boyfriend." She gave a small laugh at the shock on Ren's face.

Natsu pulled out the credit card and held it out to Ren. "Thanks to you I was able to get lots of cute clothes." She spun around so he could admire her current outfit.

"It's very nice." Ren struggled to get the words out. What was happening? _So now I'm dating her?_

Natsu smiled at him. "Well, you have a good night Ren-kun." She told him as she waved. She moved back to Moko's side.

Moko stared at her for a moment. "Umm… aren't you going to stay with him tonight?"

Natsu shook her head. "Nope, I'm sleeping over at your house Moko-san! How else are we supposed to have girl talk and gossip?"

"But, I really, I mean-" she looked at Ren for help. He only shrugged in response.

"Whatever Natsu-chan wants to do is her decision." _This is probably safer for me anyways. Who knows what kind of boundaries could get crossed if she stayed the night?_

Ren watched as they left. Then he turned to Yashiro. "Hey, do you think you could get me some copies of the Box R drama?"

Yashiro glanced at his phone. "It's late but I think I can pull some strings."

Ren nodded. "Thank you."

Moko sighed to herself as she unlocked the door to her small home. Luckily it was late and all of her family was already in bed.

She entered with Natsu behind her. "Here you go." She gestured to the room. _Even though Kyoko been here I know Natsu won't remember it._ She scowled at the ground. _I just had to get stuck with a friend who things like this happen to._

"You have a lovely home." Natsu told her with a smile.

Moko nodded her thanks. "I'll set up a bed for you." She quickly got them set up with two cots on the floor. "Let's go to sleep. I have work in the morning."

Natsu agreed. "Tomorrow's a busy day."

"Do you have stuff planned?"

"I'm gonna tell Ren-kun to take me on a date." She answered cheerfully.

Moko held back a laugh. "Sounds good, Natsu." But Natsu didn't hear her because she had already fallen asleep.

While Natsu slept Ren did research. He had been able to get the first several episodes of Box R on DVD thanks to his manager.

He sat watching episode after episode in order to learn up about his new girlfriend.

"So now I'm dating a bully…" he sighed in exasperation.

He watched as the onscreen Natsu led her group of friends in bullying the main character. He was shocked at seeing the level of violence for this kind of show. But nothing surprised him more than the smile of pure delight on Natsu's face as she watched her minions tortures.

He shivered. "So this is what I'll be up against tomorrow."

The next morning when Moko woke up she expected to be greeted by Natsu. Instead she was greeted by an empty cot. She looked for a note but found nothing.

In a panic she grabbed her phone to call Ren. She stopped when she saw she had a message. She clicked on it.

"Moko,

I had to leave for school. Thanks for letting me stay the night. We'll have to have another girls' day out soon!

-Natsu"

"Where has she run off to now? Mo!" she yelled as she dialed Ren's number.

"Good morning." Ren answered.

"We have a problem."

Ren's voice changed. "What happened?"

Moko sighed. "She took off to go to school. At least that's what the message she sent me says."

"That's not good." Ren told her. "When she's at school, Natsu is a serious bully. We have to get to her before she causes too much trouble."

Moko agreed but then sighed. "I'm stuck at work all day. I won't be able to go find her."

"Don't worry I think I can handle it with some help."

Moko hung up with Ren as she wondered who he'd call for help.

Ren dialed a number on his phone. "Hello, President."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Risky Business

Ren dialed a number on his phone. _Please pick up._

"Hello," said a voice on the other end.

"Hello, President."

"Ah, Ren, how are things going?" Lory asked excitedly. Ren quickly explained the personality change Kyoko had undergone from Kuon to Natsu.

"And now Kotonami-san called me to tell me Kyoko has gone missing. She mentioned something about going to school though."

"Hmm… you have a busy schedule today don't you Ren?" the president asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, I'm busy until around five o'clock."

"Then I'll handle her until then. Don't worry."

Before Ren could ask what the president had planned the call ended.

"I hope he knows what he's doing." He sighed as he thought of what trouble Kyoko could be getting into at school.

As it turned out, Natsu had found her way to Kyoko's high school. Luckily no trouble was caused through the morning. In fact, nobody was really aware of a change in Kyoko until lunch time arrived.

Natsu had purchased her lunch and was walking to a table to eat when she felt someone bump her hard from behind. Her tray toppled to the ground, food spilling everywhere.

"You shouldn't be so clumsy," a voice said.

Natsu turned and standing there, laughing at her was Mimori, Sho Fuwa's overly jealous girlfriend.

"I'll wait here while you go buy me my new lunch." Natsu told her coolly .

Mimori stared at her with her mouth open. She was confused because Kyoko didn't fight back.

"You aren't supposed to argue back!" she yelled.

Natsu laughed evilly. "And you're not supposed to be a spoiled brat. But I guess we can't all have what we want."

Mimori turned her back on Natsu. "Well, I'm not buying you a lunch when it's your own fault you dropped yours. Make sure to clean it up."

Before Mimori could take a step, Natsu had grabbed her by her hair. Mimori let out a scream. "Thank you for volunteering to clean up this mess."

Natsu shoved Mimori to the ground her face landing straight into the spilled food. She began to use Mimori as a human mop, that is until a teacher pulled her off.

They sent Mimori to the nurse's office and Natsu to the principal.

"Mogami-san, we've never had an issue with you until now. I would like an explanation for today." The principal ordered.

Natsu turned her head to the side. She allowed a small smirk to grace her lips. _I have no intention of answering you old man. You'll have to call my parents if you want someone to talk to._

The principal ran a hand through his graying hair. "I guess I'll call your parents." He stepped to his desk and checked her file. There was only one emergency contact. "Lory Takarada." He picked up the phone and dialed the number.

Natsu watched the principal and could hear the faint ringing through the phone.

"Yes, Takarada-san. This is Principal Saho. I'm calling about your daughter. Oh I'm sorry. I misunderstood. Still, she was in a fight today. Yes, I'm afraid that would be best. See you soon."

Fifteen minutes later, Lory Takarada entered the school's office. He passed where Natsu sat looking at her phone in the outer office and entered the principal's office after greeting the secretary.

After several minutes, Lory emerged from the office to find the exact opposite of what he would've expected from Kyoko. If it were Kyoko she'd be sunken into a depression and probably have immediately thrown herself to the floor in apology. Instead, Natsu sat upright in her chair. She held a compact in front of her fixing her mascara.

He stepped in front of her and cleared his throat. She glanced up at him, then gave a loud sigh.

"Are we finally ready?" she asked, as she stood and gathered her things.

"Yes." He answered, Surprised at her tone. _She sounds like a rebellious teenager._

But when Natsu turned around she gave him a polite smile that could rival Ren's. _Did she pick that up from him?_ He wondered.

They headed to the car and climbed in.

"So I guess this is the kind of treatment I get because I'm dating the top actor in Japan." She said as she glanced around the limo.

Lory figured it was best to go along with her assumptions. "Yes, Ren asked me to come get you. You are to wait at the agency until he gets off work."

"Sounds fun."

He could hear the sarcasm in her voice even though her face didn't show it.

When they arrived at LME she sat in one of the presidents offices watching tv as she waited for evening to come. She had a sudden thought, and dialed Ren's number.

Ren glanced at his phone and was surprised to see Kyoko's name on the caller ID.

"Hello. This is Ren." He answered.

"Hi, Ren-kun." Her voice was flirty and he couldn't help but smile at it.

"HI Natsu-chan. How are you doing?"

"I'm bored." She replied with a laugh. "I'm stuck at your agency since I got in trouble at school."

"Yes, I had heard that."

Natsu sighed. "Will you take me out to dinner to make me feel better? I bought a really amazing dress that I'm sure you'd love to see."

Ren smiled. _She's asking to be rewarded for fighting?_

"Come on, please baby." She pleaded with him hearing his silence.

He couldn't hide the small blush that appeared on his face at being called "baby" by Kyoko.

He could hear Yashiro let out a squeal beside him. "What'd she say?"

Ren waved him off. "All right, Natsu-chan. I'll pick you up from the agency at six o'clock."

She blew a kiss into the phone. "Thank you, Ren-kun." She hung up the phone cheerfully.

On the other end, Ren sighed. "What have I gotten myself into now?" he turned to Yashiro. "What kind of place do you think she'd want to go to?"

Yashiro put a hand to his chin in thought. "If it was a Kyoko-chan I'd say she'd be happy with anything, but the way you explained Natsu… you'd better make it someplace really nice."

Back at LME, Natsu stepped into the room where the President was looking over some papers.

"Takarada-san?" she asked as she stepped near his desk.

He looked up. "Ah, Natsu-chan, are you staying out of trouble?"

She gave him a polite smile but no answer. "I seem to have left my new clothes from yesterday at Moko-san's house. You can send somebody to go get them right? I have a date with Ren-kun tonight."

He was impressed by how charming she could sound. "Actually you're lucky. Kotonami-san brought them by this morning." He stood from his chair and led her into a nearby room.

The room was filled with all sorts of clothes, there was a small changing room and even a make up table. "Your clothes are next to the make up table. You can use anything in here to get ready."

Natsu smiled and hurriedly went to go examine the treasures that were currently available to her.

After finishing work, Ren had gone home to get dressed for his date. He found himself agonizing over what to wear. _I should dress nicely for the restaurant, but what if she dresses more casual and I look like an idiot._

He looked at himself in the mirror for a moment. "I already look like an idiot. Why am I acting like a teenage girl? I've been on plenty of dates."

He decided on a suit and got dressed. It wasn't until he was driving that he realized Natsu would surely expect some flowers.

He glanced at the time. He'd definitely be cutting it close but he was betting on her taking a while to get ready.

He went into a local flower shop and looked at the various bouquets. He saw a lot of different styles buy none stuck out to him.

Ren wanted something special, and then he saw it. A beautiful bouquet with various pink flowers in different shades and a single deep pink rose in the middle. Threaded through the flowers were strings of small sparkling rhinestones.

"I'll take that one." He told the shopkeeper.

She took it out of its case and carefully wrapped it for him. "Your girlfriend is certainly a lucky young lady." The woman told him.

He left a generous tip and then headed to his car. After checking the time, he sped over to the agency. By the time he reached the President's office it was 6:15 but when he was let in by Sebastian there was no sign of Natsu.

He glimpsed the president hiding around the corner with a creepy grin on his face. Ren sighed. "You're enjoying this too much I should think."

Lory stepped out from his hiding place. "Just wait until you see her, Ren."

Now Ren was nervous. He heard footsteps from down the nearby hall.

"I hope you weren't waiting for me too long, Ren-kun."

He looked and saw Natsu. She had her hair pulled up into a bun with only a few small curls left to dangle out on either side of her face. Her dress was a forest green and it fell to just around knee-length. It was long sleeve though the sleeves were mostly lace and the top of the dress stopped just below her shoulders leaving them in view.

Seeing that he was watching her, she slowly spun around and he noticed that the back of her dress was open down to her waist.

"What do you think?" Natsu asked, shocking him out of his thoughts.

Ren stepped towards her. "You look radiant, my princess." He took her hand and kissed it. Then he held out the flowers to her. "These are for you."

Natsu smiled at him as she took the flowers. "Thank you, Ren-kun. So where are we off to?"

He gestured towards the door. "Our destination is a surprise. Shall we?"

She laughed at his charming behavior. They waved good bye to the president and headed out the door.

Lory sighed as he watched them leave. "I didn't even get to take a picture of them."

When they arrived at the restaurant, Ren handed his keys to the valet and then took Natsu's arm to lead her inside the upscale restaurant.

They were quickly seated and Ren watched Natsu to see her reaction to the restaurant. She looked around taking in the décor and atmosphere.

"What do you think?" he asked when she didn't say anything.

She gave him a fake smile, "It's nice, dear."

 _Is that how people feel when I use my fake smile?_ He wondered as he shook off the effects of it. "Why don't you look through your menu and decide on a drink?" he suggested.

She nodded and they both looked through their menus.

After a moment, their waitress arrived at their table. "Welcome!" she said cheerfully. "Can I get you started with drinks?" she turned to Natsu with a big smile on her face.

"I'll have some tea." She pointed to a flavored tea on the menu.

"Of course! And for you sir?"

Ren chose a glass of wine and an appetizer and the waitress went on her way. But she couldn't help but glance back one time towards the handsome Ren.

Ren had noticed her but was grateful she hadn't been over attentive. He glanced at Natsu and saw an annoyed look on her face.

"Are you okay?" he asked. And her smile returned immediately.

"Of course, Ren-kun. I'm just a bit bored." She smirked at him. "You'd think I'd never get bored if I'm dating someone so exciting, right?"

Ren was surprised at her words. But at that moment their waitress had returned. She was carrying their drinks and everything seemed fine but as she neared their table she tripped and the drinks were sent flying everywhere.

She jumped up from the floor. "I am so sorry!" Their waitress was in tears.

Ren helped her up from the floor. "It's really no problem. If you could just bring us some towels I'm sure we'll be fine."

As the girl hurried off, Ren turned to Natsu. She had a pleased look on her face, but she quickly hid it upon noticing his gaze.

"What a clumsy waitress. Perhaps we should switch tables since ours is now covered in water?" she went to stand and Ren placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We are fine here. A little liquid never hurt anyone." His tone was forceful but he had a bright smile on his face.

 _Maybe he's more interesting than I'd thought._

They finished dinner without anymore incidents. When the waitress brought their check she apologized again.

"Again, I am so so sorry about the spilled drinks." She bowed in apology.

Ren smiled gently at her. "It really is no issue. There was no damage done."

She nodded to him and then turned and left. Ren stood and helped Natsu up from the booth. They headed outside and he handed his ticket to the valet.

As they waited for the car, Ren turned to her.

"Did you enjoy yourself?"

Natsu sighed. "It was nice enough." She looked at him with a smirk. "I just thought going out with you would be more exciting. I like something with a bit more danger." She winked at him then headed towards where the car awaited them.

 _Exciting? Dangerous? What exactly is she looking for here?_ He wondered as he began to drive away.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm already working on the next chapter. Please read & review! Thanks!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: so here's chapter 12. I'm planning for about 2 more chapters after this most likely. Can't believe the story is almost wrapped up. :) please enjoy and let me know what you think!**

Chapter 12: …Leads to Risky Rewards

Ren drove and pulled up near a building emitting blaring music. He parked his car in the nearby lot.

"What are we doing here?" Natsu asked.

He smiled at her. "You said you wanted something exciting. This is a nightclub a friend of mine owns. I thought this might be a little more your pace."

Excitement lit up her eyes. "Sounds fun." She jumped out of the car and followed him straight to the door, bypassing the line. He approached the bouncer at the door.

"Name?" the bouncer asked gruffly.

Ren smiled. "Ren Tsuruga. I'm on the VIP list."

The bouncer checked his papers then opened the door to allow them in.

"Impressive." Natsu said. The place was packed with all sorts of people dancing and drinking. She was starting to think she may have been wrong about this man.

Ren couldn't help but feel proud of this accomplishment. "Did you want to dance?" he asked her.

"Sure," she replied with a wink. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out onto the dance floor.

As they danced together Ren could feel his whole body warm up. He honestly had never thought he'd be able to take Kyoko to a place like this.

They danced for a few songs before Ren decided they should take a break. He led Natsu to a nearby table and helped her up onto the barstool.

"Why don't you wait here, and I'll go get us some drinks?" he smiled at her charmingly and she waved as she watched him walk away.

She had liked seeing the more adventurous side of him that had accepted her challenge. _I wonder what else I can do to bring out that side of him._ She glanced around the room. Nearby she spotted a well built good looking guy who was looking her way. _Perfect!_

Ren ordered their drinks and waited a few minutes for them before heading back to the table. But when he arrived back he saw an unexpected sight.

There at the table was another man. He was leaning on the side of the table closest to Natsu. He was talking and Ren could hear Natsu laughing infectiously.

As he watched them, he could feel his jealousy trying to push it's way out. He couldn't help himself and Kuon took control.

One of the cups in his hand smashed before he realized how tight he was gripping it. He marched to the table.

"Excuse me." He said to the guy. Upon seeing Ren the guy turned and ran away. Probably due to the scary look on Ren's face. He turned to Natsu and slammed her drink down on the table in front of her.

She looked happy about his reaction.

 _What the hell is she so happy about?_

He grabbed her arm and pulled her off the chair. She struggled to keep her footing as he pulled her away from the crowd and down a deserted hallway.

"Ren-k-"

He cut her off by shoving her roughly against the wall. Not enough to hurt her but enough to scare her a little.

"Why we're you talking to that guy?"

She smirked. "Just a little friendly conversation."

He clenched his fists against her shoulders. "I am the only guy you are supposed to flirt with." He stared into her eyes fiercely.

 _He's different from before. Now he seems…Dangerous._

"Did I make you jealous, Ren-kun?"

He let go at hearing her question. "You know what. If that's how you want it then just stay here." He started to walk away.

 _No! He's not supposed to just leave. It was just a joke._ She ran up behind him and hugged him from the back. "Don't leave."

He stopped.

"I'm sorry. It was just a joke. I just like things to be exciting."

He removed her arms from around him and turned around. He grabbed her chin forcefully. "Don't ever let me catch you flirting with another guy." He let go. "Now let's go home."

She smiled. "Of course, Ren-kun."

He took her hand and pulled her behind him as they walked through the crowd and back outside to the car.

When they climbed into the car, Natsu grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him towards her. She kissed his lips passionately and Ren could feel himself gaining control again.

She pulled away slightly and whispered to him. "Don't you ever grab me like that again. Trust me, I can be just as dangerous as you."

She smiled as she settled back into her seat. "Although I have to say, I find this version of you much more attractive."

Ren couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. _So apparently I have a character for every version of her._ He thought to himself as he drove them home.

When they arrived home he led her up to his apartment. It felt nice to have her home with him again after not having her the night before.

"You have a nice place." She told him as she glanced around a bit. "Can you give me a tour?"

He knew what she meant, although this whole scenario was giving him flashbacks to their training for him to play Katsuki.

He showed her the kitchen, and the bathroom, the guest room, and finally…

"This is my room."

She stepped in and looked around. "I like it." She nodded approvingly. She sat down on his bed and Ren could feel his heartbeat in his ears.

She motioned for him to join her. "Are you just gonna stay over there the whole time?" she laughed and Ren could feel his face grow warm. He sat next to her on the bed and she pushed him to lay down. She laid down on her side next to him.

Ren could feel her eyes examining him and closed his own. Her fingers gently brushed his cheek and neck.

His mind flashed back to the time during filming as Cain Heel. The kiss mark she had left him. His face blushed and he heard Natsu laugh.

"What? Don't tell me you get shy at this kind of stuff." She leaned down and began to kiss his neck.

Ren had a brief moment of hesitation as he wondered if this was something he should be doing, but it was all a lost cause when she kissed his lips.

He lost himself in her. They were kissing passionately and he had his hands on her skin. He liked this. Liked being with her.

She whispered his name. "Ren…"

He loved how that sounded. He loved her, and he needed to tell her.

"I love you, Kyoko…"

And everything stopped. The kissing, the touching. She broke their embrace and it took Ren a moment to figure out why.

 _She's not Kyoko._

He felt her hand slap his face hard. It stung. But he had little time to focus on that because now she was up off the bed and she was yelling.

"Who the hell is Kyoko?!"

His eyes went wide as he realized what she was thinking.

"Natsu…" he reached for her arm but she pulled away from him.

"Are you cheating on me? Is that her name?"

Natsu stormed from the room with Ren running after her.

"Natsu, let me explain."

She stopped and he thought he had his chance.

"Look there is-"

 _CRASH!_

Ren ducked just in time to avoid being hit by the shoe she had thrown his direction.

"Nobody cheats on me and gets away with it!" she shoved him hard in the chest and he stumbled.

"I didn't cheat on you!" he yelled back.

She turned and stormed into the kitchen.

Ren jumped up quickly. The last thing he needed was for this crazy woman to have a knife.

Meanwhile in Kyoko's head, the glass had completely blown off of the coffin, leaving the true Kyoko spirit lying there with no barrier.

"What's she doing?" Mio spirit asked Pure Kyoko.

Pure Kyoko shook her head. "I'm not sure!"

They were having to yell over the sounds being emitted from the area where Natsu spirit was controlling Kyoko's body.

Kuon spirit woke from his nap and covered his ears. "It's too loud!"

Setsu spirit pulled on Pure Kyoko's clothes. "You have to stop her! She's gonna hurt Nii-san."

Pure Kyoko sighed. _Her true spirit should awaken if I can get him to kiss me now that the glass is gone._

"I guess it's my turn."

She moved to where Natsu spirit was and pulled her from the controls.

Back in Ren's kitchen, Natsu had gone straight to digging through drawers to find something sharp.

Ren grabbed her from behind. "Stop! Please just listen to me."

She elbowed him in the stomachache he let go reflexively. She turned to look at him. "I am your worst nightmare."

She turned to go back to grab a knife when suddenly her body went limp. She collapsed to the ground and Ren hurried to catch her before her head hit the floor.

 _I guess it finally caught up with her._ He rose to his feet with her in his arms. As he passed through the living room he saw the mess Natsu had left during her outburst.

 _I guess I'll lay her down and then come back and clean up the mess._

Ren laid Kyoko down on the bed in the guest room. He searched through the drawers to find something she could wear comfortably. He knew he couldn't leave her to sleep in that dress.

Finally he found some of the clothes that the president had had sent over from Darumaya. He pulled out a pair of sweat pants and a tee shirt and quickly changed her clothes.

He didn't allow himself to linger over her. Ren was struggling with the guilt he felt over what he had already allowed himself to do.

He gently stroked her face before exiting the room. When Ren entered the living room, he sighed as he looked at all the mess he would have to clean.

It turned out Natsu had damaged more stuff than he had originally thought, and he spent several hours cleaning. As he cleaned he wondered what he was going to do in the morning.

 _She may be unconscious now but when she wakes up, who knows if she'll still be angry._

He sat down on the couch after he had finished cleaning and allowed himself to relax for the first time all day.

 _If only I could wake up and just have everything back to normal._

Kyoko awoke the next morning, and immediately realized that she was in a different bed than her own.

 _Where am I?_ She wondered as she looked around the room. She climbed out of bed and walked slowly out to the living room. _I'm sure I've never been here before but… something about it seems familiar._

Kyoko looked around the living room, and then she spotted him.

"Ren Tsuruga?!"


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: so excited for this chapter! I hope you enjoy it! Only 1 more chapter I think... but... I'm planning a sequel story that will be able to stand alone also. I'll put a summary for it at the end of the last chapter! :)**

Chapter 13: A Shocking Development

"Ren Tsuruga?!"

Ren woke suddenly at the scream. Forgetting he had fallen asleep on the couch he moved too quickly and fell off of it. He hit the floor with a loud thump.

"What was that scream?" he wondered aloud.

He stood up and looked around but didn't see anyone. _Kyoko?_ He rushed to the guest room and opened the door. But the room was empty.

"Where did she go?"

Just then he heard a loud crash from the living room. He ran out and found Kyoko laying on the floor next to a lamp that she had apparently knocked over.

 _Well, she's not Natsu anymore…_

"Where am I? Why am I here?" Kyoko had spoken suddenly but her voice was shaky.

 _She's scared._

Ren kneeled down in front of her on the floor. "This is my apartment. What do you remember?"

Kyoko's face scrunched up in thought as she tried to remember. "I remember being at work last night. At Darumaya. I was walking home."

 _She is Kyoko! But wait, Darumaya, then walking home?_

"How old are you?" this would certainly give him the answer he needed.

"I'm sixteen." She answered uncertainly. "But you still haven't told me why I'm here?" a look of horror crossed her face and she began inching towards the door. "Did you kidnap me?"

Ren struggled not to laugh. "I saved you. You were walking on the street and I saw you collapse. I pulled my car over and helped you into it. You didn't want to go to the hospital so I insisted you stay here tonight."

 _It sounds like something she'd do._

She thought for a moment before nodding. "All right, then-" she stood and bowed suddenly. "Thank you for taking care of me. I'll be going now."

He quickly rose and grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving. "Wait, I don't think you should go walking all on your own." She watched him uncertainly. "Please, let me give you a ride to my agency. I'm sure the president of the company can help you."

Kyoko began to refuse. "I really can't. I couldn't impose upon you-"

But the next thing she knew she was in his car. _How did this-?_

Ren smiled at her as they began driving. He had already sent a text to Yashiro that he'd have to take a taxi that morning, but now- he glanced at Kyoko.

"So, what's your name?"

"Kyoko Mogami." She answered, ducking her head.

He smiled. "I'm Ren Tsuruga."

"I know who you are. You're Sho's rival!" she shouted it and then quickly covered her mouth.

He gave her a sideways glance. "Sho? You mean Sho Fuwa?"

She was silent.

"Do you know him or something?" he prodded.

"He's my-" she paused and her face blushed red. "I mean…"

"Is he your boyfriend or something?"

Her blush darkened and she ducked her head so she didn't have to look at him.

 _Was this really how she was after being with him all those years?_ He wondered.

"Well," Ren said as he parked his car at LME, "I don't think he's that good of a boyfriend if he let's you walk home alone at night."

Kyoko opened her mouth to protest but Ren quickly exited the car. He really didn't want to hear her defending Sho.

As he waited for her to exit the car he saw Yashiro nearby. Yashiro approached them and greeted Ren.

"How's it going so far?" he asked quietly so Kyoko wouldn't hear him. He gave her a small wave.

"She's Kyoko." Yashiro's eyes lit up with excitement. "But she doesn't remember me. The last thing she remembers is being with _that_ guy."

Yashiro sighed. "One step closer at least." He said optimistically as Kyoko approached them.

She looked around in wonder as the approached the side door of the agency. But when they reached the main lobby after going through the hall, they were greeted by Sho.

"Hey, Kyoko!"

All three of them stared at him in shock.

 _What is he doing here?!_ They all wondered simultaneously.

"Sho, I-" Kyoko began to answer but Ren quickly stepped in front of her.

He pointed at Sho. "Fuwa, I need to talk to you." Ren stepped away a few feet and out of curiosity Sho followed.

"What business do you have with her right now?" Ren's tone was serious and Sho wondered what was up.

"I need to find out what the hell she thought she was doing bullying Mimori at school yesterday!"

Ren sighed. He could see Yashiro anxiously trying to keep a very worried Kyoko occupied.

"Look, she's not herself right now. She was in a car accident a couple of weeks back and she's currently suffering some memory loss. Just leave her alone."

Sho stared at Ren for a minute. "Wait, what does she remember?"

Ren looked away towards Kyoko. "The last thing she remembers is living with you. So since we are trying to work this out can you just-"

Before he could finish Sho had started walking towards Kyoko.

 _This is my chance. She can finally be mine again._ He told himself.

"Hey, Kyoko," he called to her. "C'mon, let's go home."

Without a second glance at Ren or Yashiro she took off after Sho.

"Sho, I swear I didn't mean- I mean, I wasn't-" she struggled to find words to explain.

He grabbed her hand. "Who cares, just come on." He pulled her to follow him out the door.

Ren ran after them, and would've caught up with them if it weren't for the crowd of obsessive fans he had waiting around the front of LME.

By the time he made it through, Sho and Kyoko were both gone.

"Dammit!" he cursed as he kicked a nearby wall. Yashiro caught up to him, his breathing ragged from chasing after Ren.

"Are…they…gone?" he asked in between breaths.

Ren nodded. "She just went with him. Why did that idiot have to be here!"

"Let's go talk…to the president…I'm sure he can help."

Ren ran a hand through his hair. "I have to get her back."

Kyoko and Sho entered a luxurious apartment that he'd been staying in thanks to his agency. Kyoko looked around in shock.

"You live here?" she asked in awe.

Sho shrugged. "Yeah, this is where I stay when I'm working." He kicked off his shoes and collapsed on the couch.

Kyoko stood in the doorway uncertainly. Sho glanced at her, then patted the seat next to him. He still wasn't sure what it was but now that she was off being an actress and seeking revenge, he found her very attractive.

Kyoko took off her shoes and set them near the door, before scurrying over to sit next to Sho. _He seems nicer. Maybe he was worried about me?_

Sho looked at her for a moment before leaning his head back against the couch. He closed his eyes. "Can you get me a drink?" he asked, gesturing towards the kitchen.

Kyoko nodded. "Of course!" she jumped up and ran to the kitchen. She searched through his fridge and found a soda. She hurried back to him.

"Here you are, Sho." She said sweetly.

Sho smiled and caressed her cheek. Kyoko blushed in response. _So, does this mean that since he brought me here… we can…?_

"What do you think about moving in here?" he asked suddenly. "It's hard for me to keep this place looking nice and I could use some help."

Kyoko nodded excitedly. "Really? I'd love that!"

Sho smiled. _This is going to be easier than I thought._

Meanwhile, Ren paced the President's office at LME. Yashiro had gone to handle canceling Ren's work appointments and Lory sat at his desk calling everyone he could think of to get information on where Sho Fuwa lived.

His first attempt had been to call Sho's agency and talk to the president there but he had been out of his office.

Next they tried contacting other people in connection with Sho. A couple of music video directors, that led to obtaining his manager's number, but she refused to give out Sho's personal information.

It was now three o'clock in the afternoon and Ren was agonizing over the thought of Kyoko being with Sho.

 _He'd better not hurt her or I'll kill him._

Finally the phone rang.

"This is Lory Takarada. Yes! Thank you for calling me back." He mouthed to Ren, "It's Sho's agency. President."

Ren nodded. He could feel hope rising in his chest, but he forced it back down. He couldn't get his hopes up.

He listened as Lory explained their situation. Then Lory listened to the response. He jotted down some notes then hung up looking very serious.

He looked at Ren. "We got the address." Lory held up the paper and before he could tell Ren anything else, the younger man has grabbed the paper from his hand and bolted out the door.

Lory could only smile. He was proud of Ren for being so protective of Kyoko. He only hoped Ren would get there in time to save her.

Back at Sho's apartment, Kyoko had spent the whole day cleaning and cooking for him. In short, she was in heaven. She loved being with Sho.

"Kyoko," Sho called to her from the doorway of the kitchen. She put down the dish she had been drying and hurried to him.

"Yes, Sho?" she smiled her pure smile. The smile that had totally disappeared after he had broken her heart.

"You've done a really good job today." He watched as her eyes lit up at his words. _She's so simple._

He placed his hands on Kyoko's shoulders. "I think you deserve a reward."

Kyoko's eyes went wide and she blushed. "Reward?"

He nodded. "Close your eyes."

She obeyed and he wrapped an arm around her waist before pulling her close and locking his lips against hers.

He kissed her fiercely, unaware of what was happening inside her mind.

Inside Kyoko's mind memories were flooding in. Memories of another kiss with Sho, then a memory of a more powerful kiss… one on the cheek. Ren flashed in her minds eye, she was seeing too much at once. Her dressed as a school girl, her dressed as a boy, her in dark revealing clothes, her with a scar, her in a hot pink jumpsuit.

Then the final memory was one of Sho sitting on top of his manager, talking about a plain boring girl he wasn't interested in.

In the control room of her brain grudge Kyoko's began to emerge from her true Kyoko spirit that was asleep in the coffin.

The pure Kyoko spirit was yanked from the controls by grudges.

In Sho's apartment, Kyoko let out a sharp scream before collapsing to the ground in front of Sho.

"What the hell!" he yelled as he stared at her. _Did my kiss shock her that much?_

"Now what am I supposed to do?" he tried to remain calm but he was panicking.

There was a banging on the door and he ran and opened it. Outside his door stood a very angry looking Ren Tsuruga.

"Where's Kyoko?" he asked as he pushed his way past Sho. Ren entered the apartment further and saw Kyoko unconscious on the ground.

He turned to Sho. "What did you do to her?!"

Sho shook his head. "Nothing. I just kissed her!" His answer was met with a punch to his face by Ren.

Ren leaned down to Kyoko. "Kyoko? Are you okay? Please wake up." After a moment of silence, he called for an ambulance.

He just hoped that they'd make it in time to help her. Ren had never felt more helpless in his whole life, but looking at the girl he loved lying unconscious before him, he could feel tears welling up behind his eyes.

 _Please be okay…_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: A Romantic Resolution

Ren was pacing in the hallway outside of Kyoko's hospital room. On chairs nearby sat Yashiro, Moko, the President, and Maria.

"Why don't you sit down while we're waiting?" Lory suggested to Ren.

The younger man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I can't sit still. It's too much."

Finally the doctor stepped from the room and Ren approached him immediately. Lory also stepped up to listen to what the doctor had found.

"It would appear that she may have had something trigger her memories to return but it might have been too much for her body to handle and that's why she collapsed. We won't know anything for sure until she wakes up though." He sighed as he looked at Ren's hopeless expression. "I wish I had more answers for you right now."

He shook Lory's hand before stepping away into his office.

Ren felt numb. They were right back where they'd started. He felt angry at Sho, at himself, at the taxi driver who had caused all of this from the beginning by being drunk while driving Kyoko. But mostly he just felt empty.

He entered Kyoko's hospital room and sat in a chair that felt all too familiar to him. He stared at her lifeless body. She was too still. He watched closely to see the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. What had she ever done to deserve this?

"It's not fair," he whispered.

"Big sister doesn't deserve to be so sick."

Ren turned and saw Maria standing in the nearby doorway. She was carrying a book in her arms.

"I hope it's okay I came in." she continued as she stepped closer to Ren. "Moko mentioned that Kyoko might like hearing some more fairytales." She held up the book and Ren saw that it was indeed the same book of fairy tales he had read from what seemed like forever ago.

He pulled Maria up to sit on his lap and told her to pick a story. She flipped through and settled on Sleeping Beauty.

Ren read the story allowed for her as well as Kyoko. By the end of it he could feel teardrops landing on his hands. He looked at Maria.

"Why are you crying?" he asked gently.

"I just wish it was as simple as this. A true love's kiss." She sobbed softly.

He smiled sadly at her. "I do too." He patted her head, then stopped.

Hadn't that been what had woken her the first time? "True love's kiss…"

Ren smiled again but this time was different. "Maria, I think you are a genius. I had forgotten that that was how I woke her the first time."

Maria's eyes lit up. "That makes you like prince charming and she's the princess!" she began pulling at Ren's arm. "Kiss her!"

He laughed at her earnestness. "We don't know for sure it'll work, but I'll give it a try."

He stood and walked to where Kyoko lay. He leaned down and softly allowed his lips to touch hers.

 _Please awake my princess…_

He pulled away and for a moment nothing happened. But then…

In Kyoko's mind a bright light began to emit from the coffin where her true self lay.

"What's happening?" the other spirits asked.

Pure Kyoko could only smile. "She's waking up."

"Ts-tsuruga-san?"

A bright smile lit Ren's face at the sound of his name. He had missed the way she said it.

"Kyoko…" he breathed a sigh of relief. He looked towards Maria. "She's awake. Can you go tell everyone?"

She nodded excitedly and ran from the room.

Ren turned his attention back to Kyoko. Her eyes were full of confusion. Ren gently touched her hair.

"I'm so glad you're awake." He told her.

"Where am I?" she asked weakly.

"You're in the hospital. You've been through quite a lot lately. I'll explain everything later."

Before Kyoko could ask anything else the doctor entered the room. Ren stepped out of the room as the doctor did his examination. He immediately walked to Lory and gave him a hug. He was so relieved.

 _She's awake, and everything is going to be okay._

Over the next couple of days, Kyoko had many visitors. The president and Maria, Moko, the couple from Darumaya, and even Yashiro had stopped by to see her. Ren however had made sure to stop by for at least a few minutes every day.

On the third day after she had woken, Ren came after work to eat dinner with her. Kyoko smiled when he entered the room.

"Good evening, Tsuruga-san." She said happily, with a tiny bow of her head.

Ren couldn't help but smile when he saw her. He loved seeing her cheerful attitude, it was something he had missed in the recent weeks.

"Good evening, Mogami-san. How are you feeling today?"

"Not as tired." She said. "In fact, can you help me sit at the table for my dinner?" she pointed to the table and chairs she had in the corner of her room.

Ren nodded. "Of course," he approached her bed and helped her out of it. She no longer had an IV or any other wires connected to monitor her due to her improvement.

He helped her cross the room and sit in a chair. He sat opposite her and watched her. She laughed, "What?"

"Nothing. I'm just happy to see you're feeling better."

There's was a small knock on the door and a member of hospital staff stepped in carrying a tray of food. She set it on the table in front of Kyoko.

"Here you go, Mogami-san." She turned to Ren. "Can I get you anything, Tsuruga-san?"

Ren started to answer, but Kyoko interrupted him. "Have you eaten dinner, Tsuruga-san?"

He shook his head no. Kyoko gave him a look that said she knew that's what his answer would be. "Please bring him something also."

The staff member nodded before stepping back out of the room.

"You can begin eating. You don't have to wait for me." He told her.

She shook her head. "I don't mind waiting. It'll stay warm as long as it's covered. I have a question though."

Ren raised his eyebrows in response. "Ask away."

Kyoko looked down at her hands. "What happened while I was unconscious? The last thing I remember is being at your apartment when I borrowed the book from you. Everything is a blank after that."

"Well," Ren began but he was momentarily interrupted by the hospital staff re-entering to deliver Ren's food.

"Itadakimasu!"

As they began eating, Ren remembered he was supposed to be answering Kyoko's question.

"You were in a car accident after leaving my apartment. An investigation showed that the taxi driver was drunk and it caused him to crash."

Kyoko stopped eating as she listened intently.

"After that you were unconscious for a few days, and when you woke up…"

"Yes?" she asked.

Ren sighed. _How much should I tell her?_ He wondered.

He imagined Kyoko freaking out over everything she had done while not herself. He couldn't do that to her.

"You were suffering from memory loss due to a head injury. Then a few days ago something happened and it triggered your memories to return, but it also caused you to resume unconsciousness."

"What made my memories return?"

Ren cringed at her question. "Fuwa kissed you."

Kyoko's jaw dropped. "He what?!" her face fell in distress as she realized what that meant.

After a moment, Ren understood her concern. "It doesn't count as a real kiss. You weren't yourself." He told her as he reached across the table and touched her hand.

She nodded and looked at him sadly.

"If it makes you feel any better, due to Fuwa's recent actions concerning you he's been put on probation at his agency."

"Really?"

Ren laughed at the fact that she couldn't help but smile and they enjoyed the rest of their meal without Ren having to delve more into the recent events.

A few days later, Kyoko was released from the hospital and she returned home to Darumaya happily. She tried to offer to work there, since she wouldn't be returning to her show business work for another week still, but they refused her. Taisho had even asked her to relax and come eat in the restaurant during her time home.

When her time was up and she was allowed to return to work Kyoko was thrilled. She skipped cheerfully through the halls, greeting everyone who passed her.

She spent the morning with Sawara-san going over new offers she had recently received and organizing her current jobs for her make up work.

After her meeting she returned to the LoveMe section to look over the files she'd been given. As she opened the door she ran into Moko.

Her files fell to the ground and she expected her friend to yell at her, but instead she smiled at her.

"First day back and you're already causing trouble," Moko said, laughing.

She leaned down and helped Kyoko gather her papers. "Are you going over new jobs?"

Kyoko nodded. "Sawara-san gave them to me this morning."

"Hey, did you want to have lunch together? My treat." Moko offered.

Kyoko's whole face lit up. Normally she was the one having to beg Moko to eat with her. "Definitely!"

Moko smiled back at her. "All right, I'll order us some food for delivery." Half an hour later the table in the LoveMe break room was filled with delicious food that Kyoko loved. She couldn't believe her friend would do this for her.

As they ate, they talked about work, and life, family, and eventually reached the topic of Kyoko's time she didn't remember.

"Tsuruga-san told you about everything, right?" Moko asked as she ate another spoonful of rice.

Kyoko took a drink of tea. "He told me some of it. Just that I lost my memory for a while. That's all really. Why? Was there more?"

Moko stared at her as she tried to hold in her laughter. _That man didn't tell her anything!_

"Did you want to know everything?"

Kyoko looked uncertain. "I think so. I mean, yes, I do!"

The conversation that followed was a long one. Moko told her what she had heard from Ren and Yashiro about Kyoko's time as Mio, as well as what she had witnessed of Kuon, and finally Natsu.

Kyoko blushed madly when she was told of her dating Ren. She was sure she still wasn't receiving all the details, because Moko could only tell what she knew, but Kyoko was terrified at the thought of all the trouble she must've caused everyone.

"I-I can't believe he didn't tell me all that." She finally said in disbelief.

Moko laughed. "Why are you so surprised? Of course he'd try to protect you."

"What do you mean?"

Moko stared at her best friend. _Does she really not get it? After all this time?_

She leaned on the table to look closely at Kyoko. "Kyoko, Tsuruga-san wants to protect you because he loves you."

Kyoko was so flustered by Moko's words she knocked her drink over. She quickly wiped up her mess.

"And you love him too. So why not just admit it and put both of you out of your misery?"

Kyoko stopped. "Why would you say that? Of course I'm not-"

"You're not what?"

Kyoko and Moko both turned to see Ren standing in the doorway, Yashiro behind him. Kyoko was frozen in place. _Why did he have to come in now?!_ She wondered.

Moko smiled mischievously before jumping up. "This was nice, Kyoko, but I have to get back to work. Tsuruga-san why don't you join Kyoko for some lunch, there's a lot of food. Yashiro-san, can you help me with something."

A moment later, both Moko and Yashiro were gone leaving Ren and Kyoko alone.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" he asked as he gestured to the seat beside her.

She nodded. "That's fine." He noticed that she wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Are you okay, Mogami-san?"

She shook her head, and Ren felt his concern grow. "Moko told me what happened. The truth."

Ren ran a hand through his hair. "So that's what you're worried about."

"Of course I'm worried! I caused everyone so much trouble." She cried out. "Is there anything else I need to know about? Anything she wouldn't have been able to tell me?" she asked as she gazed into his eyes seriously.

Ren sighed "I guess she wouldn't have been able to tell you about Setsu..."

"I…was…Setsu?"

Ren nodded. "For a couple of days. That is until you attacked my co-star…" Ren told her the story as she sat in shock, blushing furiously.

"I'm so sorry, Tsuruga-san. I've caused you so much trouble. I don't deserve to be treated so well by you. I'm sorry."

She moved to bow to him from her seated position.

"Kyoko."

She looked up and was met with his lips crashing against hers. They were soft, and warm and she could feel him smiling.

He pulled away slowly and looked at her closely. "Shut up. I love you, and I was happy to take care of you."

Kyoko stared at him for a moment before she felt her heart swelling with happiness.

"I-I love you too."

A smile lit up Ren's face and he leaned in and kissed Kyoko once more.

 **A/N: Thank you so much for reading my first Skip Beat fanfic. I hope you enjoyed it! I have already began writing my sequel for this story. Here's a preview for it!**

Title: Healing a Broken Heart

Summary: Kyoko and Ren are finally dating and Ren is over the moon with happiness the only issue is Kyoko doesn't know how to be in a healthy relationship and her fear of reverting to her old ways is keeping her from getting close to Ren. Will they be able to find a compromise in their desires, or will it all prove to be too much for them to handle? RenxKyoko a sequel to my story The Accident.

Chapter 1:

That moment replayed in Ren's mind over the next few days both when he was awake and asleep. Unfortunately he had not gotten to see Kyoko since then because they were both busy catching up on missed work and (for her) schoolwork. As much as he wanted to spend every moment with her, he was a professional actor and had to remain focused on his work.

He had just arrived back at LME for a meeting in the afternoon. Yashiro was walking with him giving him details about the meeting. When they turned down the next hallway they saw Kyoko. She was wearing her pink LoveMe uniform and struggling to carry three somewhat large boxes.

Without a second thought Ren moved forward, a box began to fall from Kyoko's arms but he caught it. He took a second box from her leaving her with only one.

She looked up to say thank you but the words caught in her throat when she saw who it was. By this point, Kyoko had convinced herself that the kiss and love confession had all been in her head.

Her face blushed bright red. "Thank you, Tsuruga-san."

Ren smiled at her. "You shouldn't be carrying so many boxes at once. You only just returned to work."

Kyoko nodded her head but was no longer able to meet Ren's eyes.

"I'll help you carry this. I have time before my next meeting. Where are we headed?"

Kyoko stared at him in shock. _If I'm right and that kiss was an illusion… he's tricking me again. Testing me._

Ren was surprised at the gloomy expression that crossed her face. Kyoko smiled at him quickly. "You don't have to help me. It's LoveMe work so I shouldn't receive help doing it."

If they were still just co-workers and he was hiding his feelings he would've just tossed the boxes back into her arms and been on his way. But now that she knew his feelings, he could help her honestly.

He leaned down towards her. "I really don't mind, Kyoko. Besides, I don't know that you'll be in the LoveMe section too much longer after we talk to the president."

 **I'll be posting the first chapter tomorrow so please be on the lookout!**


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